Why do the Sunni's and Shiites hate each other so much?

Question

I have wondered this since Good ol' saddam insane was in power and could never get a good answer. Well, one that satisfied my query. I understand the israeli/palistinian mess. I just don't get the sunni/shiite.

Answer 1

I was wondering the same thing. The following is from a News article from HNN:

The Islam religion was founded by Mohammed in the seventh century. In 622 he founded the first Islamic state, a theocracy in Medina, a city in western Saudi Arabia located north of Mecca. There are two branches of the religion he founded.

The Sunni branch believes that the first four caliphs--Mohammed's successors--rightfully took his place as the leaders of Muslims. They recognize the heirs of the four caliphs as legitimate religious leaders. These heirs ruled continuously in the Arab world until the break-up of the Ottoman Empire following the end of the First World War.

Shiites, in contrast, believe that only the heirs of the fourth caliph, Ali, are the legitimate successors of Mohammed. In 931 the Twelfth Imam disappeared. This was a seminal event in the history of Shiite Muslims. According to R. Scott Appleby, a professor of history at the University of Notre Dame, "Shiite Muslims, who are concentrated in Iran, Iraq, and Lebanon, [believe they] had suffered the loss of divinely guided political leadership" at the time of the Imam's disappearance. Not "until the ascendancy of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1978" did they believe that they had once again begun to live under the authority of a legitimate religious figure.

Another difference between Sunnis and Shiites has to do with the Mahdi, “the rightly-guided one” whose role is to bring a just global caliphate into being. As historian Timothy Furnish has written, "The major difference is that for Shi`is he has already been here, and will return from hiding; for Sunnis he has yet to emerge into history: a comeback v. a coming out, if you will."


Hope this helps

Answer 2

I am a Muslim Sunni and I have shiaa friends, the base of Islam is sunna or sunni as how u call it, like Catholic and Orthodox , there are so much difference between us....but not to the extend to kill each other, for example we have a day called ashoura on this day long time ago shiaa killed the 2 grand sons of prophet Mohammad and since then they feel guilty so on this day we just remember it but for shiaa's they start beating themselves until they heavily bleed , because they regret that day then the law of Islam is different, and they say that god send his message on the wrong person so instead he send it to Ali he send it by mistake to Mohammad peace b upon him, so how can god make a mistake ?!! this are the differences I know but there are a lot of other things, but if you are asking about what is happening in Iraq its a matter of who will rule sonna or shiaa"s because if sona rule then they will rule with sonna rules, and so on and shiaa's are more strict than the sonni's, like Iran the majority are shiaa's...but as we have in Islam we follow our religion and you follow yours so it shouldn't conflict together..but some times they insult sunni people and the doubt the religion it self and they have other terms of marriages and they allow things that we never allow so I hope i explained a little bit but as for me and my friends we never discus religion

Answer 3

There are slight differences in those two religions. Much like in Christianity, there are different sects Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Protestantism, etc.

Islam has a more militant approach on other views and beliefs. This causes some of the more radical islamics to have a "Convert or die" belief.

Answer 4

shiites insult the companions of Muhammad (pbuh) who are the best men after prophets and messenger and anyway islam don't teach to insult anyone then what about these great men,they disbelieve in some of the quran verses and interpret them in the wrong way and say that the cow mentioned in sura 2 is Muhammad's (pbuh) wife (aisha).

Answer 5

It's a matter of which leader is the authentic descendant of Mohammad. The fighting is reminiscent of the Christian slaughter of Jews, Muslims, and other heretics in the first 1200 years of the Christian existence.
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Answer 6

They are different denominations of the same religion (Islam).

Similar reasons why different Christian groups fought wars amongst themselves in the early part of the last millennium, and why two Christian denominations (Protestants and Catholics) still can't get along in Northern Ireland.

Answer 7

For the same reason that Catholics and Protestants did (and still do in some places), namely difference of opinion in Doctrine

Answer 8

Each side thinks the other are heretics. Kind of like how Catholics and Protestants used to kill each other over religion.

Answer 9

I am sunni and i don't hate shia' ...when i was at the mosque of Prophet Mohamed (pbuh) i knew a women shia' and we talked friendly

Answer 10

Good luck finding an answer to this one.
The tribes in Iraq have been at war for ever.