The Middle East is in the midst of ever-increasing tension, as conflict between Iran and Saudi Arabia is spiraling to involve more countries in the region. Saudi Arabia severed all diplomatic ties ...

This is the Sunni viewpoint. A minority believed that Ali, the Prophet’s son-in-law should lead the community. These Muslims came to be known as Shi’a, which means ‘Party of Ali’ ...

Britain has an estimated Muslim population of about 2.8 million. Of these some 5% are Shia, the rest are Sunni. The historical split occurred 1400 years ago, following the death of Muhammad in ...

Shia vs Sunni in Syria: Syria, a country which constitutes 74% Sunni population was being ruled by Bashar al-Assad, affiliated with the Alawite sect, a syncretic sect with links to early Shi'ism ...

Armed Sunni groups, considered loyal to the new regime after Assad’s removal, have begun retaliatory killings against Alawites, deepening Syria’s sectarian divide. This challenges the power of Hayat ...

With some irony, America’s failure to secure the 2006 Awakening caused those Sunnis sympathetic to America’s aims to flee Shia persecution. Those “good guys” are thus not available in 2014 ...

They view the struggle in the Middle East as one between Sunnis and an Iranian-led coalition, and they justify ultraviolence as a necessary tool to counterbalance or deter Shia hegemony.