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There is an incorrect assumption in the wording of the question, so be careful. Not all Sunni and Shi'a are fighting. The vast majority of Iraqis are tolerant people who have been living side-by-side for thousands of years. Intermarriage between sects is very common, especially in urban areas.
There are many factions within both the Shi'a and Sunni camps, so one must not lump them all together.
Currently there is violent fighting for control of Iraq. The Shi'a are the majority or larger sect and have gained an advantage in their present form of government ( officials elected by popular vote).
Although there has been competition for thousands of years it was the United States intervention and support of Sadaam Hussein that began the modern Iraqi Sunni-Shi'a political/power competition with control being given to Sadaam's Sunni side.
Prior to the U.S. occupation the larger cities in Iraq were generally well integrated and marriages between sects common. Baghdad was especially harmonious with respect to religion.
What else can I help you with?
What were the primary ethnic factional groups fighting each other in Iraq after the invasion?
Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds
Do the Sunnis and Shiites hate each other?
Some Sunnis hate some Shiites and some Shiites hate some Sunnis, but the majority of the conflicts between them are not theological, but political, social, and economic. These labels work similarly to ethnic labels in the Balkans, ripping people and countries apart. It does not help that many Sunnis and Shiites purposely or unintentionally misconstrue the doctrines of the other in order to give Divine Legitimacy to what would otherwise be a vulgar brawl for resources.
Are the shiites and sunnis enemies?
No, they are not enemies. They differ on some of the beliefs but that does not mean they hate each other. They stand together mostly!
Which religion started first Sunnis or Shiites?
Both Sunnis and Shiites claim direct connection to the original Umma or Islamic Nation and each has a narrative that holds that it is only they who have been loyal to tenets and history of Islam.
How many different groups are there within Islam?
there are 2 main groups shiites and sunnis then there are branches within each
What relationship do the sunnis and the shiites have?
both of them are muslim and in principles like divine unity, prophecy and resurrection or the day of judgment are the same. they call each other as religious brothers.
How do Sunnis and Shiites unite?
Answer 1Dictators do not let they unite. the solution is revolution against puppet dictators who control Muslim nations.Answer 2Historically, Sunnis and Shiites have consistently repressed one another and differentiated one from the other. However, more recently, when Sunnis and Shiite have found themselves both out of power (because of Western colonization or the burgeoning growth of Islam in the West itself), they have finally been able to bond over similar issues concerning assimilation with Western society. This increased closeness, while desirable, provides no help to uniting Sunnis and Shiites where they are each in power. The solution, therefore, is obvious, only a Western secularized system of government could foster a union between Sunnis and Shiites, as it has been the only system under which this has ever happened.
Do the Sunnis and Shiites share the same or different political views?
In different places, yes. And they fight each other for more power. They have been fighting such the death of Muhammad, peace be upon Him.
What are the two groups of Muslims today and what do they believe differently from each other?
There are more than two groups of Muslims, but the dominant two sects of Islam (accounting for >99% of all Muslims) are the Sunnis and Shiites. To read about their differences, please see the Related Question below.
How long have the Sunnis and Shiites been fighting against each other?
Sunni and Shiite are different sects of Islam, but Kurds are an ethnic group. Kurds are predominantly Sunni Muslims (although there are minorities of Shiite Kurds, especially in Iran, and non-Muslim Kurds as well). As a result, it is incorrect to call the Kurds a "religious faction" since what sets them apart in Iraq, Iran, Syria, and Turkey is their ethnicity, not their religion. The Sunnis and Shiites have been religious rivals since the mid-600s C.E. since the First Islamic Civil War or Fitna al-Kubra. Historically, in Iraq, the Sunnis had control after the Shiites lost the First Islamic Civil War and the Shiites were repressed almost consistently for 1300 years. Kurds were largely absent from this since Kurdistan was separately administrated from the Arab-populated areas, assuming that it was even in the same empire. In terms of the three-way political fighting between Sunni Arabs, Shiite Arabs, and Kurds, this only started when the borders of Iraq were artificially drawn in 1919 to give the British access to petroleum reserves in Basra (in the Shiite-Arab-dominated south) and Mosul (in the Kurd-dominated north). Initially, there were some Kurdish independence movements in the 1920s in Turkey, Iraq, and Iran, but all were brutally supressed by the national governments of those countries. As Iraq began to have a more Pro-Arab and Secularist agenda and alignment before and after World War II, the Kurds suffered more and the Shiite Arab situation did not improve from historical intemperance. During the 1970s and 1980s, the Iraqi government committed numerous atrocities against the Kurds (especially), but also against Shiite Arabs, and other religious minorities, including the Anfal Campaign (which is considered a genocide against the Kurds) as well as the Dujail Massacre against Shiite Arabs (which was the primary charge for which Saddam Hussein was hanged in 2006). This violence led to the Kurdish and Shiite Arab uprisings in late 1991, following Iraq's defeat in the Persian Gulf War of 1991. Again, the government brutally supressed these uprisings. With the US invasion and the Iraq War, the governing structure of Iraq was put into flux and the different groups (Sunni Arabs, Shiite Arabs and Kurds) are now vying for political power. As concerns the current interaction between Sunni Kurds, Sunni Arabs, and Shiite Arabs in Iraq, their fundamental differences are religiosity (how religious they are), tribalism, factionalism, militarism, and historic enmities. The conflict between these groups in modern Iraq is for the most part political, economic, and social (as opposed to religious) even though religious dialogue is often used to excite combatants.
Did Sunnis and Shiites love each other?
NO. The Divisions between Sunnis and Shiites have persisted for the same reason that the divisions between Catholics and Orthodox Christians have persisted. Once a religious sectarian division comes into existence it is impossible to theologically heal it unless at least one side concedes that its position on the theological issues that the two sects disagree on is wrong.However, since Catholics and Orthodox Christians have stopped killing each other and cursing each other as heretics for the last 400 years or so, it begs the question as two why Sunnis and Shiites continue to do this. (Note that the majority of Sunnis and Shiites do not feel this way, but a large vocal minority in each camp still do.) There are several reasons for this animosity.1) Historical Grievances: The primary reason this division persists is that there has never been an atonement by either side for the pain and persecution that it has suffered when the other was in power over a given territory. Although, Shiites endured more persecution at the hands of Sunnis than the reverse, this is not to say that Sunnis have not endured persecution at Shiite hands. Both groups remain defiant that since they have the moral high-ground as granted from their faith, their actions in repressing the other sect, torturing its adherents, and murdering its leaders was progress towards removing the heresy. Compare this to the Catholics, who have apologized for the Rape of Byzantium, which was huge historical grievance between them and the Orthodox.2) Ethnic Identities: In many countries, especially Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon, people identify "ethnically" by their sect of religion. Therefore saying somebody is Shiite in Iraq is similar to how people view being Irish-American or Japanese-American in the United States. It marks you socially and it determines who your friends are, who you marry, what jobs you take, who you love, who you despise, etc. As a result, whenever conflict has broken out, each religious group comes together to defend its people's interests. This results in political and social hatred of the other religion in addition to any theological issues.3) Rumors of the Other's Theology: Some Sunnis think that Shiites are deluded into believing that 'Ali was a second prophet, which would violate Mohammed being the final capstone of the Prophets, a huge theological issue. Some Shiites believe that Sunnis were paid off to accept the three Rightly-Guided Caliphs before 'Ali and that Sunni Islam was therefore corrupt and ineligible to continue the Islamic tradition. Both have alleged the other was deceived by Jews, which says more about how Muslims view Jews than each other. Of course, both of these are mis-characterizations of the actual theologies of these two sects, but the point remains that as long as these problematic rumors exist, the two sides cannot reconcile.4) Approaches to Government: Ever since the abolition of the Caliphate in 1936, Sunni Islam has been leaderless and there has come to be an understanding that religion does not participate in actual governance. (This is not a separation of church and state since the two can cooperate closely, but this prevents direct theocracy.) Shiites, on the other hand, have religious leaders called Ayatollahs who do attempt to have terrestrial authority and in Iran have actually achieved it.
Why don't the Shiites and Sunnis disagree with each other?
Sunnis and Shiites do disagree with each other on several theological issues. ______________________________________________________________ They disagree on minor side issues that not affecting basic Islam beliefs. They ; for example; disgreed on the way the successor of the prophet (after his death) should be chosen. Muslims elected Abou Bakr to be the first Caliph after prophet Muhammad (PBUH) death. However, some Muslims believed that the successor should be from the family of the prophet and hence should Ali Ibn Abou Taleb (the prophet cousin and husband of his daughter). However, after the election of AbouBakr, they joined the majority and even Ali Ibn Abou Taleb (God be pleased with him) supported the elected Caliph. The same scenario was repeated after election of Omar Ibn Alkhattab as the second Caliph and Othman Ibn Affan as the third Caliph. Ali Ibn Abou Taleb was then elected as the fourth Caliph. Sunnis and Shiites are just two Islamic schools that differ in minor issues.The outsiders are trying to feed up assumed differences and conflicts between Muslim groups to gain control on Muslim countries and on their resources. The two main groups are Sunnis and Shiites. Both groups agree upon basic Islam pillars, believe in same and only version of Quran, believe and follow the sunnah of same prophet (PBUH), pray to same direction (facing Kaba in Makkah or Mecca in Saudi Arabia, go to same places on pilgrimage (or Hajj), and adhere to same Islam morals and ritual worships. They only differ on some side issues that are not critical. Some other groups as Taliban and Al-Qaeda are in disagreement with both Sunnis and Shiites true Muslims.
