Historical Origins
ShĪʿite Islam, (referred to as the English translation, Shiite Islam, from here on out), is the smaller of the two main branches of Islam. The other prominent branch is the Sunni muslims. Today, the two main branches fight over who should hold more power in the middle east, a situation that has been exacerbated by Saudi Arabia's 2016 execution of 47 prisoners, one of which who was a prominent Shiite cleric and anti-government protestor (Gubash & Jamieson 2016). However the rift between the two Islamic religions dates back to 632 A.D, when the Islamic prophet Muhammed died and a new prophet was required to lead the religion. Both Sunni and Shiite muslims believed that Allah was the one true god and that Muhammed was his prophet, but they disagreed about who should become Muhammed's heir. Sunni muslims believed that a qualified individual who swears to follow the prophets customs should lead Islam, while Shiite muslims believed that Muhammed's heir should be someone of his own bloodline (Chuck 2016). Robin Wright, a non-partisan member of the Woodrow Wilson center and the U.S. Institute of Peace says that, "The original schism between Islam's two largest sects was not over religious doctrine. It was over political leadership."
Beliefs
Shiite and Sunni muslims share the vast majority of their beliefs because they both read the Quran as their religious text. They both adhere to the five tenets of Islam, and they both practice five ritual prayers each day. Both of the religions believe in Islamic law, but have different applications for it (Chuck, 2016). Aside from disagreeing about who the second prophet was, they also having differing ideas about how a society should run. Shiite Muslims believe that society should strive to care for the poor and make everyone as equal as possible in society. Although the religion still often advocates for gender discrimination. Shiite muslims also believe in a more strict religious hierarchy that makes the word of religious leaders rarely questionable. Another big difference between the groups is that Shiite muslims believe clerics and other religious leaders can become exalted, whereas Sunni muslims believe the title can only be applied to prophets (Chuck 2016).
Current Numbers
Today, 90% of Muslims are Sunni and only 10% are Shiite Muslims. However, Shiite muslims are more concentrated in the middle east, holding the vast majority of Iran and Iraq, as well as sizable populations in Syria, Lebanon, and Yemen. There are about 1.8 million practicing muslims in the world today, with 1.6 billion being Sunni and 200 million being Shiite (Chuck 2016.)
Historical Significance
The Shiite Islamic faith has been the primary influencer of Iranian culture and Iranian ideals since the 1979 Iranian Revolution. In order to hold the presidential office, a candidate must be a Shiite muslim, and Iranian courts practice Shiite Islamic law. Shiite Islam is deeply ingrained in Iranian government and as a result it has greatly influenced Iran's political history.
Traditional outfits of males who practice Shiite Islam.