It seems the rift that exists between Sunnis and Shiites is not confined to Iraq. The disagreement and fight has spilled over into the United States.
Recently, there has been an uptick in discord domestically between the two groups, with many of the recent encounters occurring in Dearborn, where 30 percent of the city's less than 100,000 people are Arabic, according to the U.S. Census 2000.
However, not all the flare-ups between the two sides have been confined to Dearborn; tensions have simmered on campuses across the nation from Rutgers to Johns Hopkins universities. And while the conflicts have been largely nonviolent, the discomfort and acrimony between the two groups has been apparent.
Shiites and Sunnis differ because they disagree "over who has the right to rule and interpret scripture," according to The New York Times' "Iraq's Shadow Widens Sunni-Shiite Split in U.S." (2/4).
Sunnis have excluded Shiites from leading prayer at Muslim university association meetings. In Dearborn, Sunnis are suspected of vandalizing Shiite businesses. Thus far, these slights have been justified religiously, but the conflict is less about religion and more about the internal politics and struggle after Saddam Hussein's death in Iraq.
Under Saddam Hussein's rule, Sunnis mistreated Shiites in Iraq. Now that Shiites are the majority party in office, some Sunnis feel the Shiites have overstepped their power and will begin to persecute the Sunni minority in Iraq.
The conflict has crossed to the United States. Whatever the reason, there needs to be understanding and at least some agreement between the two sects. In the United States, Muslims suffer enough subtle and not-so-subtle discrimination at the hands of government officials and uneducated, fearful citizens. Fighting between the groups will do nothing to help the precarious social situation in which Muslims find themselves. If anything, it will only serve to make citizens more scared and distrusting.
Admittedly, having the two Muslim groups come to an agreement is a tall order; the history of disagreement between both sides is deep, bitter and not likely to be mended anytime soon. Divisions will still exist, but if those differences can be overlooked for even the briefest of moments, temporary unity could lead to a lasting, if tenuous peace.
Last week, the MSU Muslim Students' Association held an awareness week on campus. The group should be commended for its efforts to increase dialogue at MSU about Muslim issues commonly misunderstood in the United States. The association also should continue discussions about Shiite-Sunni tensions in our state to foster peace throughout the Muslim community.
Britain has experienced Shiite-Sunni violence for years, often right in the streets. The United States' Sunni-Shiite situation has not yet escalated to that level of violence. And hard though it may be, Sunnis and Shiites should work together to make sure it never does.
