The division between Islam's Shiite minority and the Sunni majority is deepening across the Middle East. The split occurred soon after the death of the Prophet Muhammad, nearly 1,400 years ago.

Islam's Sunni-Shiite split By Dan Murphy Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor. Jan. 17, 2007, 12:01 p.m. ET To the ...

BAGHDAD – The Sunni-Shiite split is rooted in the question of who should succeed the Prophet Muhammad in leading Muslims after his death in 632. Shiites say the prophet's cousin and son-in-law ...

An age-old schism between Sunni and Shiite Muslims now inflaming relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran dates back to the founding of Islam. Today, the divide is unleashing new fury in an era of ...

The Sunni-Shiite split is not the oldest internecine conflict in Islam–the Kharijite secession coalesced earlier and in its emphasis on declaring Muslims of divergent views beyond the pale ...

Sunni-Shia split the Mideast’s new great divide Half of believers in the Middle East and North Africa say religious conflict is a major problem for their countries. How did ...

A dispute about who should lead Islam after Muhammad died ultimately split the faith into two branches, the Sunnis and the Shias. The young Muslim community faced a pivotal decision after the ...

In a five-part series, we look at the origins of the Sunni-Shia split in Islam, the religious and historical differences, how Iran became Shiite, and how conflicts involving Shiism have made an ...

Iran has long tried to cast itself as the leader of the entire Muslim world, but its regional standing has been undermined by four years of upheaval that split the Middle East along deepening ...

BAGHDAD, April 13 -- Key Sunni militant groups are severing their association with al-Qaeda in Iraq, a Sunni group that claims allegiance to the organization led by Osama bin Laden. The split ...

You've likely heard of the Shia-Sunni split in the Middle East but what caused the split? British journalist Lesley Hazleton explores the stories behind the schism: from assassinations, to a ...