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Christine Lutz Bell L  5-8-08 Mrs. Downey Coll. Prep English __ Shiite and Sunni __ Mohammed was the prophet who founded the Islamic religion in the seventh century. He founded the first Islamic state in the year 622 in Medina. When he was in Medina, he also founded two other religions that were based on Islam. [|Those two religions are the Sunni and Shiite.] These two religions were similar but very different at the same time. The two Muslim religions don’t really get a long and fight constantly. One thing that both the Sunnis and Shiites do believe in is the Qur’an. The Qur’an are the holy laws of the two Muslim religions. They believe that Allah, their god, gave the Qur’an to Mohammad in Medina for them to follow and behold. Both religions believe that the Qur’an is the word of god, just like The Ten Commandments for Catholics. The people of the Sunni and Shiite religions take these laws very seriously and only wish to follow and serve their prophets. The Sunni and Shiite people don’t always believe in the same things and do have their differences. One of the major differences the two religions have is who they believe are the caliphs. Caliphs took Mohammed’s spot as the leader of the Muslims when he died. The Sunnis believe that the first four caliphs are the leaders of the Muslims. They believe that the caliphs are very good leaders and ruled Arab for a very long time. The Shiites believe that the heirs of the first caliph, Ali, are the leaders and successors of Mohammed. Ali was Mohammed’s son-in-law; who was married to his daughter Fatima. Another thing that the Sunnis and Shiites disagree about has to do with the Mahdi. The Mahdi is to bring a just global caliphate into being, it is also known as “the rightly guided one.” The Sunni people believe that Mahdi has already come to earth and preached to the people and will return to them one day from hiding. On the other hand, the Shiites believe that the Mahdi has not come to the people on earth yet and they are still awaiting his arrival. Mahdi reminds me of Jesus between the Jewish and Christian people and what they believe he did for them. One horrible Sunni, that I’m sure everyone in the United Sates knows, is Saddam Hussein. When Saddam Hussein was ruler of Iraq , the Shiite’s were in complete torture. He would not allow any Shiite to have anything to do with the government of Iraq. Hussein even instructed a fatwa, which is a law prohibiting Shiites from interfering with coalition forces. Hussein even killed thousands of Shiite people when they revolted after the Persian Gulf War. Saddam Hussein was a horrible Sunni leader and a terrible man to represent Iraq. The Shiites are very happy that he is not in rule anymore. It is not difficult to know if a Muslim man, and sometimes women, is Sunni or Shiite. Religious Sunni men wear a small cap and shave their mustaches and head so their face is completely bald. The higher rank religious Sunnis, called sheikh, wear a long black turban that wraps around a small red cap. Religious Shiite men grow long beards and usually wear a tie and a non colored shirt. Many Shiite men also get tattoos that say Ali to represent who they believe is the successor of Mohammad. It is harder though to tell the difference between Sunni and Shiite women. Most women wear dresses or pants that cover their whole body, including their face. The only thing that you can see of their bodies is their eyes. The only real difference between the clothing items is that the Shiite women pin their veil to the left side of their body. The way Sunnis and Shiites pray is different but similar at the same time. Sunnis and Shiites both kneel on a small carpet or rug and touch their heads to the floor during prayer. The Shiites, instead of touching their head to the ground, touch it to a small stone called the turban, which is from the holy city of Najaf. Both religions also fast and celebrate during Ramadan, but do end the fasting at different times. When praying, Shiites keep their hands down at their sides, while Sunnis hold their hands together by their stomach. Sunnis pray in Mosques, which are minarets and domes. Shiites pray in Husseiniyas, which are just the opposite of Mosques. The Shiite people celebrate a very special day to them called Ezra Day. Ezra Day is meant to celebrate the death of Hussein, Ali’s son, who was killed by the Sunnis while trying to spread the news. On this day, the Shiites go to Husseiniya for ten days to celebrate. The Shiite people wear all black for these ten days and the men don’t shave their beards and the women wear no make up. On the tenth day, the Shiite people [|march up and down the streets mourning of the death of Hussein]. On this day, many Shiite people, while marching, beat and cut themselves to show how sad they are of Hussein’s death. Sunni people dread the tenth day of Ezra and they think it is very unpleasant. "Shiite and Sunni." __History for Kids__. 4 May.2008 < http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/islam/ religion/shiite.htm>. "What Is the Difference Between Sunni and Shiite Muslims--and Why Does It Matter?" __HNN__. 18 Dec. 2006. 5  May 2008 . "What’s The Difference Between Sunnis and Shiites? - Everything You Need To Know." [|Webmerica.org]. 2008.  7 May 2008 . "How to Differantiate Between a Sunni Muslim and a Shiite  Muslim." [|Howtodothings.com]. 2008. 6 May 2008 < http://www.howtodothings.com/religion-spirituality/ how-to-differentiate-between-a-sunni-muslim-and-a-shiite-muslim>. "The Difference between Sunnis & Shiites." [|Youtube.com]. 2008. 7 May 2008 < http://youtube.com/ watch?v=WnfvAEamRbw&feature=related>. [|Thetulsan.com]. 7 May 2008 < http://www.thetulsan.com/images/imam.gif  >.
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