What is the difference between a Sunni, a shiite, and a Kurd?

Question

Are they all muslims? Are they all anti-American?

Answer 1

Sunni Muslims are by far the largest denomination of Islam. They are also referred to as Ahlus Sunnah wal-Jamaa'h (Arabic: أهل السنة والجماعة) (people of the example (of Muhammad) and the community) which implies that they are the majority, or Ahl ul-Sunna (Arabic: أهل السنة; "The people of the example (of Muhammad)") for short. The word Sunni comes from the word sunna (Arabic : سنة ), which means the words and actions [1] or example of the Prophet of Islam, Muhammad. They represent the branch of Islam that accepted the caliphate of Abu Bakr due to him being chosen by majority, thus elections, or Shurah, in the caliphate being the first distinguishing factor in Sunni Islam. Most Sunni lawyers define themselves as those Muslims who are rooted in one of the four orthodox schools of Sunni law (Hanafi, Maliki, Shafii or Hanbali).


Shī‘a Islam, also Shi‘ite Islam or Shi‘ism (Arabic شيعة šīʿa), is the second largest denomination of the Islamic faith after Sunni Islam. Shias adhere to the teachings of Muhammad and the religious guidance of his family (who are referred to as the Ahl al-Bayt) or his descendents known as Shi'a Imams. Muhammad's bloodline continues only through his beloved daughter Fatima Zahra and cousin Ali which alongside the prophet's grandsons are the Ahl al-Bayt. Thus, Shi'as consider Muhammad's descendents as the true source of guidance while considering the first three ruling Sunni caliphs a historic occurrence and not something attached to faith. The singular/adjective form is šīʿī (شيعي.) and refers to a follower of the faction of Imam Ali according to the Shia ideology.

Shia Islam, like Sunni Islam, has at times been divided into many branches; however, only three of these currently have a significant number of followers. The best known and the one with most adherents is the Twelvers (اثنا عشرية iṯnāʿašariyya) which have a large percentage in Iran 90% and Iraq; the others are Ismaili, Sevener, and Zaidiyyah. Alawites and Druzes consider themselves Shias, although this is sometimes disputed by mainstream Shias[1]. The Sufi orders among the Shias are the Alevi, Bektashi, Kubrawiya, Noorbakhshi, Oveyssi, Qizilbashi, Hamadani and Fatimid orders and denominations. Twenty percent of Turkey's population is Alevi while Lebanon and Syria have a large presence of Druze and Alawites.


The Kurds are an ethnic group who consider themselves to be indigenous to a region often referred to as Kurdistan, an area which includes adjacent parts of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey. Kurdish communities can also be found in Lebanon, Armenia, Azerbaijan (Kalbajar and Lachin, to the west of Nagorno Karabakh) and, in recent decades, some European countries and the United States (see Kurdish diaspora). Ethnically related to other Iranian peoples,[9] they speak Kurdish, an Indo-European language of the Iranian branch. However, the Kurds' ethnic origins are uncertain.[10]

According to Vladimir Minorsky There is no doubt that the term Mar (Medians) refers to Kurds. Furthermore he writes that in the curious Armenian manuscript containing samples of alphabets and languages, written some time before A.D. 1446, a prayer in Kurdish figures as specimen of the language of the Medians''.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunni
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurd

Answer 2

Sunni and shia's are all muslims The differences between sunni and shia arise mostly after the death of the prophet Muhammad (SAW). Its mostly political in nature.. ie who was to then lead the muslims. The difference are minor theologically. Specifically shia's contend that the caliphate (ruler) should be someone from the descendant of the prophet throught her daughter Fatma. Sunni contend that whoever is best for the job. Shia's attribute more significance to the lineage of the prophet. Sunni comprise approx 85% of the muslim and shia's are the 14% where 1% are other sect.. Kurds are mostly people indigenous to kurdistan. Somebody can be a kurd and not a muslim.But most of them are muslim

Answer 3

Sunnis and Shiites are two different sects or factions of Islam who hate each other for some obscure reason involving some prophet's nephew or grandson. Kurds are a steely-eyed ethnic group who live mostly in northern Iraq and have been horribly persecuted, and who give the Turks a headache, which is OK.

Answer 4

Sunni and Shi'a are two of the three major branches of Islam. It's the equivalent, more or less, to Protestant and Catholic in Christianity. The Kurds are an ethnic group, most of whom are Sunnis themselves.

So the three major groups in Iraq are Sunni Kurds, Sunni Arabs, and Shi'a Arabs. All three are predominantly Muslim. The Sunni Arabs were the ones in power under Saddam Hussein, so they're generally the most anti-American.

Answer 5

They are just different tribes of Arabs. It's about the same difference as there is in an Apache, a Cherokee and a Seminole Indian. They are mostly all Muslims, but not neccessarily. Some of them are anti-American and some are not.

Answer 6

Sunni's and Shi'ia's are Arab Muslims....Kurds are Muslims but they are Persians...not Arabs.

The Sunni's and Shi'a's do not agree on who should have succeeded Mohmmad (pbuh) upon his death. One group felt it should have been a relative or descendent and the other feels that it could be simply the best person to do so.

Answer 7

I think you'd find them quite different.
Have you ever heard of Iraq? Can you think of any reason why they would not be? It's a veritable holocaust. As a nation we'll never live it down,any more than Germany has theirs.
Yes,probably they are all three somewhat displeased with the Vanguard of Democracy. Millions are dead,millions have fled. Anti-American? A lot of AMERICANS are "anti-American if you're talking the government.
Like everyone around the world,Muslims tend to like American pop culture.

Answer 8

Want me to be honest, no I don't, I don't know at all and would like to learn, but I may have to read over this later, I will be excited to see your best answer to this if you choose it, then you will perhaps give me something to read so that I can know?

Answer 9

start with the link below, and read...

it's also important to understand that Dumbya Bush is a complete and utter moron, too.

Answer 10

different caliph or Ayatollah