What sorts of crimes did the Sunnis perpetrate against the Shiites?

Answer 1

Answer 1

There was no Shia or Sunni even till the days of the Caliphate of Hazrat Ali Ul Murtaza (RAU). The last Prophet of Islam was neither a Sunni nor a Shia. A hypocrite Jew, Ibn-i-Saba conspired against the Muslims and they fell a prey to his conspiracy dividing the Muslims into different sects. May Allah Karim guide us to the right path and make our hearts free from hatred against each other. The Enemy bombers and guns make no distinctions between a Sunni Muslim or a Shiea Muslim. The people of Koofa were Sheean-i-Ali who betrayed the dearest Imam Hussain (RAU) along with the dearest Ahl-i-Bait. Were they the Sunnies?

Answer 2

Many of the historic Sunni Muslim Empires actively repressed and persecuted Shiite Muslims. As Answer 1 notes, the seminal event beginning this persecution was when Yazid I of the Umayyad Caliphate ordered the execution of Imam Hussein and a large remnant of the Ahl-al-Bayt (Prophet Mohammed's family). The Umayyad Army followed through with this. Additionally the Umayyad government wanted to create a Sunni Arab aristocracy and therefore applied the jiyza tax not only to Jews and Christians, but to Mawali (non-Arab Muslims) and the Shiite Muslims, regardless of whether they were Arab or Mawali. Shiite Muslims were also banned from most government positions under the Umayyads. Finally, the Umayyads continued to seek out the Shiite Infallible Imams, torture them and murder them.

Shiite Muslims joined arms with the Sunni Abbassids in 750 CE who promised a better situation for the Shiite Muslims, but they were later deceived. The Abbassid Caliphs continued the Umayyad trend of torturing and murdering the Shiite Infallible Imams, but extended this as well to Shiite leadership (Mullahs and Faqihs). Shiite Mosques were destroyed and worshipers during Ashura processions were murdered. Shiite Muslims and their property were also periodically attacked as scapegoats for Abbassid military problems, such as the Byzantine offensive in 971 CE. The Abbassid Caliphs also provided financial support to those Faqihs (Islamic Jurists), especially from the Hanbali School, that would propagate anti-Shiite attitudes.

The Ottoman Empire saw the Shiites under its purview incorrectly as a fifth column for its rival in Persia, the Safavid Empire, which was a Shiite Islamic State. To prevent Shiite Muslims from becoming a critical mass in the country, the Ottomans massacred large numbers of Shiites, especially the Turkish Alevis, the Syrian Alawites, and many Lebanese Shiite Muslims (mostly Twelvers).

Currently, there is government-level repression of Shiite Islam in several countries, including Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. In both of these countries, the Shiite population (66% and 15% respectively) are actively banned from government positions, have many sectors of the economy closed to them, and have minimal say even in their own protection. In Saudi Arabia, Wahhabis have issued fatwas against Shiite Muslims, written textbooks slandering their faith, actively banned Ashura and other Shiite festivals, and in some cases prevented the creation of Shiite burial grounds. In other countries, such as Indonesia and Pakistan, violent Radical Sunni-Affiliated Groups terrorize portions of the Shiite population and the government takes no action to protect the Shiite Muslims. Finally, there are a number of Muslim countries like Malaysia, where Shiite Muslims are on good-footing with Sunni Muslims but are prohibited from open proselytization.

Commentaries on the Murder of Hussein and His Family have been moved to the Discussion Section.