Introduction to World's religion (Essay Sample)

Introduction to World’s religion Student’s Name Institutional Affiliation Introduction Ideally, several news reports found in the Middle East today provide details about tension, conflict, and fighting caused by two warring groups known as the Sunnis and Shia. The Sunni group forms one of the most dominant branches of Islam where 90% of Muslims belong, while Shia constitutes only 10% of the Muslim world (Hazleton, 2010). Initially, these two groups were bonded together before a split occurred on who should take the place of Muhammad. Later on, their differences developed to include both political and philosophical misunderstandings (Fisher, 2013). Since Muhammad had failed to produce a son of his own from his numerous marriages, there was no clear successor left to take his position. The conflicts, tension, and fighting prolonged when the Sunnis proposed that the leadership (the Caliphate) should be within Muhammad’s clan where there is more Muslim establishment to represent the prophet’s continuity (Hazleton, 2010). On the contrary, the Shias supported one of the claims brought forward by the husband of Muhammad’s favorite daughter that insisted that the Caliphate’s legitimacy only came from God as opposed to the religious establishment. These differences initiated more tension since each group wanted to be more superior and chosen than the other. Furthermore, the Sunnis maintained that the laws governing the societies could only be determined through reference to Koran as w...