Iraq: Shiites vs. Sunnis

Mohamed Ali
Period 5
November, 15, 2010

IRAQ: SHIITES VS. SUNNIS
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. Shiites, in contrast, believe that only the heirs of the fourth caliph, Ali, are the legitimate successors of Mohammed.   Hostility starts between the two groups when Ali is murdered and Hussein’s family is massacred, which were all blood relatives to Mohammed. The Shiites believed that the Sunnis were responsible for the murder of the family. Ever since then the two groups have been bitter rivals.
As a result of the American invasion of Iraq in 2003 there has been a deep Sunni-Shia divide in the Islamic world. The Sunni first targeted American troops, but soon, with the involvement of Al-Qaeda in Iraq, it attacked the Shiites as well. The Sunni target Shiite holy sites, Shiite neighborhoods in Baghdad and elsewhere, and ordinary Shiite civilians. But the attack on the Askariya Shrine, a mosque directly connected to the story of the Twelfth Shiite Imam drove the Shiites to war with the Sunnis. The Shiites fought back through militia attacks and murder. With American involvement now Shiite-Sunni violence predominates in Iraq. Shiite militia even attack American troops due to their interference in their country.
The political masters of Iraq are discussing whether American soldiers should stay beyond the 2011 deadline or for a complete U.S withdraw. There has been a security agreement between the two nations’s that calls for the U.S troops to leave Iraq by the end of 2011. But defense secretary Robert Gates left open the door that troops could stay in Iraq as long as Baghdad asks for them. The Kurd who commands Iraq’s military...