Download Islam Splits

Islam Splits
Over who should succeed
Muhammad after his death in 632.
The Muslim world splits into 2
groups:
• The Sunnis (pronounced SU-knees)
• The Shiites (pronounced SHEE-eye-ts)
The Sunnis (SU-knees)
• Believe that any good Muslim can be a
caliph or leader
• They make up 90% of all Muslims today.
The Shiites (SHEE-eye-ts)
• Believe that Ali, Muhammad’s son-in-law
and cousin should have succeed
Muhammad and that all future rulers
should be from this bloodline. (Sharing
the blood of Muhammad from Ali, his
cousin, and Fatima, his daughter.
• Only 10% of the Muslim population is
Shiite. Mostly in the countries of Iran and
Iraq.
Over time these two groups have
developed other differences in
the way the worship and in some
of their beliefs.