Comments by "Phil Dobson" (@phildobson8705) on "Vladimir Putin: From licking Americans to praising Sepp Blatter - BBC News" video.
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+Matjaž / Putin's right, it's divide and rule -
Saudi Arabia and Turkey have fallen for it so completely they think they are running it.
USA is exploiting the 1400 year old split in Islam
Quran chapter 54 : 1 the moon split [ Allah was the moon spirit in Muhammad day ] Quran chapter 54 tells how the split was comparable punishment to Noah and the floods for the people of Arabia
Disagreement over who should succeed Muhammad as caliph, that is the religious and political leader of the Muslim world resulted in a split in Islam
Abu Bakr
The Prophet Muhammad died in AD 632 without choosing an heir to lead the Muslim world. A meeting was convened in Medina to choose his successor & the first Caliph of the Muslims. Abu Bakr, Muhammad’s father-in-law and longtime companion, was chosen. It is believed that Abu Bakr was favored for practical reasons. He was believed to be the most capable of maintaining the growing Muslim realm. Abu Bakr died two years later, & was succeeded by his advisor Umar ibn al-Khaṭṭab, who was killed by a slave and succeeded by Uthman ibn Affan. Uthman was killed by rebels in 656. Those who supported the line of succession following Abu Bakr became known as Sunni Muslims.
Ali
At the time of Muhammad’s death, there was a minority of Muslims who believed that the true heir of Muhammad was Ali, Muhammad’s cousin & son-in-law. His supporters believed that Ali was the only one with the spiritual authority to succeed Muhammad. He rose to the position of Caliph after the death of Uthman, 25 years after the death of Muhammad. His supporters became known as Shi’ites, meaning “Party of Ali.” Ali was assassinated after assuming leadership, & rule fell back to the line supported by the Sunni faction.
Hussein
The Shi’ite cause didn’t die with Ali, but was instead taken up by Ali’s son, Muhammad’s grandson, Hussein. Hussein challenged, what he saw, as the corrupt leadership of the Sunni Caliph. Hussein and much of his family were massacred as a result, in the city of Karbala. Hussein became the greatest martyr of the Shi’ite Muslims, receiving the title “Prince of Martyrs.”
Lasting Split
The split between the two sects has lasted since the death of Muhammad. Sunni Muslims remain the majority in most Muslim countries with the exceptions of Iraq & Iran. The split has not been a peaceful division
The Broad Picture
Violence between the two groups has largely been within the context of other cultural and political factors, not only of religion.
Large scale wars between Shi'ites & Sunnis, the Ottoman-Saffavid wars in the sixteenth century, were more a result of imperial competition between the Sunni Ottomans and Shi'ite Persians than it as a result of religious sectarianism. In the same manner, the recent violence between Sunnis and Shi'ites in Iraq, Syria & Yemen is not simply about the split
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