When Muslims turn to violence, their victims are, overhelmingly, other Muslims. Currently, in Pakistan, the Sunni majority is using the country’s strict blasphemy laws to target - and murder - Shias. Blasphemy is still a capital offence in Pakistan and even unsubstantiated allegations can lead to mob violence and lynchings.
The Sunni/Shia split dates back to the immediate aftermath of Mohammed’s death, in the sixth century CE, with a dispute over the succession. Since Mohammed did not leave a united people, and neglected to appoint a successor, a schism quickly opened up among his followers. Some believers accepted that Abu Bakr, Mohammed’s father-in-law, was rightfully installed as the first caliph. Other believers supported the rival claims of Ali, Mohammed’s son-in-law. The supporters of Abu Bakr became Sunni Muslims, named after the sunnah tradition, while the supporters of Ali became Shia Muslims, named after an abbreviation of ‘Shiat ‘Ali’. This schism divided Islam from the outset, and Muslims have been killing fellow Muslims - over the ways they choose to worship the same God - for fourteen centuries.
There is no obvious mechanism for healing this long-standing rift, since the followers of both traditions believe that they - and they alone - have access to divine truth. Dogmatic beliefs create a perfect barrier to progress. Without an Islamic ‘reformation’, sectarian violence between Sunni and Shia Muslims will continue indefinitely.
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