Sunni and Shia: struggle for power by the 7th century

The civil war in Syria is becoming a conflict between the two warring parties traditionally religious branches of Islam, Sunni and Shia, their differences are timeless and forebears. It all began in 632 AD the death of the Prophet Muhammad . The Sunni Muslims, often referred to as the " orthodox "Islam is the most populous of the two doctrines, numbering, according to estimates, about 1.4 billion. believers, as opposed to just 200,000 million Shiites worldwide. They emphasize the Sunna (tradition) that requires adherence to the writings of the Quran, which is considered the foundation of Islam, and consider the succession of Muhammad need not be hereditary, recognizing as legitimate successors of Mohammed first three after him caliphs ie the Abu bakar, the Omar and Osman . Currently, the Sunnis believe that remain faithful to the Sunna, which according to them is composed of six Hadith ("Reports") compiled in the 3rd century after Muhammad (9th AD .). The main opposition came from those who believed that Caliph, ie religious leader can only be one man who comes from the family of the Prophet. Those who disagreed with this direction were called Shia (Si'at Ali, that the "party of Ali" Muhammad's cousin and husband of his daughter Fatima). By this logic, one imam is the "middleman" between the Prophet and man and his debt is to convey God's message to the community. This view however is considered heretical, almost blasphemous for Sunnis, who believe that it is only one prophet, Muhammad, and that he should be worshiped people in this role. Today, only Iran has declared officially Shia Islam as the official religion of the country, while large Shiite communities also live in Iraq and Bahrain. The third of the population in Lebanon are also Shiites, while in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Syria are living large Shiite communities. In contrast, almost all North African states around the Sahara desert are Sunni, which applies to countries like Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Bangladesh and Palestine.