The religious differences that contribute to Iraq's sectarian violence have deep historical roots. We asked University of Michigan professor of Middle East history, Juan Cole, when the split took ...

The history of Islam pivots on the actions of the Prophet Muhammad's grandsons, Hasan and Husayn. This deep dive explores the ...

The division of Islam into Sunni and Shiite branches goes far back in Muslim history to the aftermath of the death of the Prophet Muhammad. Read a... The division of Islam into Sunni and Shiite ...

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Sunni-Shia antagonism, a root cause of violence across the Middle East in recent decades, has diminished lately. But provocation by either side could undo this progress, so a Saudi-owned television ...

Commentator Anisa Mehdi is Iraqi American. And she says the current sectarian violence is part of the legacy of Saddam Hussein. ANISA MEHDI (Commentator): For my dad's generation being Sunni or Shia, ...

When the United States invaded Iraq four years ago, it didn't set out to deepen the Sunni-Shia divide in the Islamic world. But that may be one of... When the United States invaded Iraq four years ago ...

An excerpt from Geneive Abdo's new book. Editor’s Note: Reprinted from The New Sectarianism: The Arab Uprisings and the Rebirth of the Shi’a-Sunni Divide by ...

And many Iraqi Shia despise the aggressive brand of Shiism pitched by the Iranians. Yet survival trumps other issues, and Tehran has made gains by providing arms, money and training to the militias ...