I need a THESIS for this topic...?

Question

The topic is:
Foundation of tension between Sunni and Shiite

I thought this would be a good thesis but my teacher told me it was not:
The foundation of tension between Sunni and Shiite came from Muhammads dealth

Answer 1

The tension between the Sunni and Shiite Muslim communities in Iraq has been largely a secular fight for political dominance since the toppling of Saddam Hussein, but one with deeply religious underpinnings.

Under Saddam, the minority Sunni Arab sect in Iraq was dominant and brutally oppressed the majority Shiite sect and rebellious Kurds in the north of the country. Now, the largely Sunni insurgency in the country is fighting to regain its political standing.

Sunni leaders have, by and large, rejected the country's newly drafted consitution as a document that gives them too little political power. The draft was primarily the work of Shiite Muslims and ethnic Kurds.

Shiites make up about 60 percent of Iraq's population, while Sunnis are a 20 percent minority. In the larger Muslim and Arab world, the vast majority of believers are Sunnis.

The Iraqi Shiites, many of whose leaders took refuge in neighboring Iran during the Saddam era, have major backing from Tehran. There, a Shiite theocracy has run the country for a quarter century. But the possibility of Iranian influence in Iraq is an anathema to the Sunni-dominated Arab world.

Islam has been divided into the orthodox Sunni and minority Shiite sects since shortly after the death of the Prophet Muhammad, founder of the religion, in 632.

Sunnis accepted Abu Bakr, a respected contemporary of the prophet, to lead what was then an international political as well as spiritual empire. A small group, the "shi'at Ali," or party of Ali, followed the much younger Ali, Muhammad's son-in-law.

Ali would eventually head the Islamic empire. But the rivalries between his followers and supporters of others who claimed leadership in the generations after Muhammad's death periodically exploded into violence.

In a 7th-century battle, Sunnis killed Hussein -- Ali's son and Muhammad's grandson -- and his 72 companions on the plains of Karbala in what is now Iraq. Shiites mark Hussein's death in emotional annual rituals

Answer 2

My first thought was so what?

Specific topic + Attitude/Angle/Argument = Thesis

What you plan to argue + How you plan to argue it = Thesis

What is a thesis?

A thesis statement declares what you believe and what you intend to prove. A good thesis statement makes the difference between a thoughtful research project and a simple retelling of facts.

A good tentative thesis will help you focus your search for information. But don't rush! You must do a lot of background reading before you know enough about a subject to identify key or essential questions. You may not know how you stand on an issue until you have examined the evidence. You will likely begin your research with a working, preliminary or tentative thesis which you will continue to refine until you are certain of where the evidence leads.

The thesis statement is typically located at the end of your opening paragraph. (The opening paragraph serves to set the context for the thesis.)

Remember, your reader will be looking for your thesis. Make it clear, strong, and easy to find

Attributes of a good thesis:

It should be contestable, proposing an arguable point with which people could reasonably disagree.

A strong thesis is provocative; it takes a stand and justifies the discussion you will present.

It tackles a subject that could be adequately covered in the format of the project assigned.
It is specific and focused. A strong thesis proves a point without discussing “everything about …” Instead of music, think "American jazz in the 1930s" and your argument about it.
It clearly asserts your own conclusion based on evidence. Note: Be flexible. The evidence may lead you to a conclusion you didn't think you'd reach. It is perfectly okay to change your thesis!

It provides the reader with a map to guide him/her through your work.

It anticipates and refutes the counter-arguments

It avoids vague language (like "it seems").

It avoids the first person. ("I believe," "In my opinion")

It should pass the So what? or Who cares? test (Would your most honest friend ask why he should care or respond with "but everyone knows that"?)
For instance, "people should avoid driving under the influence of alcohol," would be unlikely to evoke any opposition

Answer 3

You should relate your thesis on the tension left behind from Muhammads death to his masses and followers.