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The history of the divide between Sunnis and Shias

Introduction The history of the divide between Sunnis and Shias can be traced back to the death of the Prophet Muhammad which took place in A D 632 The differences are related more to historical events ideological heritage and issues of leadership As the times go by the conflict escalated dramatically The problem today is far beyond a simple ideological disagreement and the conflict is spilling out of Middle East and causing global unrest The first and central difference emerged after the death of Prophet Muhammad The issue was who would be the caliph the deputy of God in the absence of the prophet The majority of Muslims at that time chose Abu Bakr who was one of the Prophet Muhammad s closest companions They later became the Sunnis sect of Islam which comprises 80 percent of Muslims worldwide today A minority sided with Prophet Muhammad s son in law Ali The group held that Ali was the righteous political and spiritual leader of the Muslims 



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