Sunni – Sunni Muslims comprise about 85 percent of all Muslims. Nations with Sunni majorities include Egypt, Saudi Arabia and most other Arab nations, as well as non-Arab nations such as Turkey, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Sunni in Arabic means those who adhere to the Way (Sunnah) of Prophet Muhammad. In the first instance, use Sunni Muslims. In the second instance, as a whole, the description should be given without the definite article i.e. Sunni. An individual should be identified with the term as a noun or adjective with Muslim attached i.e. He or she is a Sunni Muslim.
Titles for Sunni clergy vary depending on which country, but these are the most common:
Grand Mufti – The highest authority in Islamic law and interpretation, a title used mostly by Sunnis. The position is usually appointed by the state, with the necessary qualifications and experience to be able to issue legal edicts.
Sheikh – Used by most clergymen in the same manner that the Rev. is used as a Christian clerical title, especially common among Sunnis. (Not all sheikhs are clergymen. Sheikh can also be a secular title of respect or nobility.)
Mullah – Lower-level clergy.
Imam – Used by some sects as a title for the prayer leader at a mosque.
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Reuters: Muslims are split into two main groups, Sunni and Shi’ite. Sunnis are estimated about 80 per cent of all Muslims and include most Arabs. Sunnis and Shi’ites draw spiritual inspiration from the same source, the Prophet Mohammad, but Shi’ite theologians have much greater freedom of interpretation. As well as adhering to the revelations of the Muslim holy book, the Koran, Sunnis follow the Prophet Mohammad’s rule of life (the Sunna) and traditions based on his sayings. Shi’ites hold that the succession to the Prophet should remain in his own family. Since the direct line was broken not long after the death of Mohammad, Shi’ites believe there is a Hidden Imam (spiritual leader) who will reappear one day. In Iran, where Shi’ites are predominant, the revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini was considered the Imam’s deputy on earth. His successor as Supreme Leader holds the same authority Rivalry between Sunnis and Shi’ites extends back to the years following the death of the Prophet Mohammad, when Islam first split over the question of who was the rightful successor. Some hardline Sunnis regard Shi’ites as heretics and Shi’ite minority communities in some parts of the Middle East complain of discrimination.
Reuters: Muslims are split into two main groups, Sunni and Shi’ite. Sunnis are estimated about 80 per cent of all Muslims and include most Arabs. Sunnis and Shi’ites draw spiritual inspiration from the same source, the Prophet Mohammad, but Shi’ite theologians have much greater freedom of interpretation. As well as adhering to the revelations of the Muslim holy book, the Koran, Sunnis follow the Prophet Mohammad’s rule of life (the Sunna) and traditions based on his sayings. Shi’ites hold that the succession to the Prophet should remain in his own family. Since the direct line was broken not long after the death of Mohammad, Shi’ites believe there is a Hidden Imam (spiritual leader) who will reappear one day. In Iran, where Shi’ites are predominant, the revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini was considered the Imam’s deputy on earth. His successor as Supreme Leader holds the same authority Rivalry between Sunnis and Shi’ites extends back to the years following the death of the Prophet Mohammad, when Islam first split over the question of who was the rightful successor. Some hardline Sunnis regard Shi’ites as heretics and Shi’ite minority communities in some parts of the Middle East complain of discrimination.
AP: Followers are called Muslims. Their holy book is the Quran, which according to Islamic belief was revealed by Allah (God) to the Prophet Muhammad in the seventh century in Mecca and Medina. The place of worship is a mosque. The weekly holy day is Friday.
It is the religion of more than 1 billion people in the world, making it the world’s second-largest faith, after Christianity. Although Arabic is the language of the Quran and Muslim prayers, not all Arabs are Muslims and not all Muslims are Arabs. Most of the world’s Muslims live in a wide belt that stretches halfway around the world: across West Africa and North Africa, through the Arab countries of the Middle East and on to Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and other Asian countries, parts of the former Soviet Union and western China, to Indonesia and the southern Philippines.
There are two major divisions in Islam:
–Sunni – The biggest single sect in Islam, comprising about 85 percent of all Muslims. Nations with Sunni majorities include Egypt, Saudi Arabia and most other Arab nations, as well as non-Arab Turkey and Afghanistan. Most Palestinian Muslims and most West African Muslims are Sunnis.
The Saudis sometimes are referred to as Wahhabi Muslims. This is a subgroup within the Sunni branch of Islam.
–Shiite – The second-largest sect. Iran, Iraq, Bahrain and Azerbaijan all have Shiite majorities. Lebanon and Yemen have large Shiite communities relative to their population.
(The schism between Sunni and Shiite stems from the early days of Islam and arguments over Muhammad’s successors as caliph, the spiritual and temporal leader of Muslims during that period. The Shiites wanted the caliphate to descend through Ali, Muhammad’s son-in-law. Ali eventually became the fourth caliph, but he was murdered; Ali’s son Hussein was massacred with his fighters at Karbala, in what is now Iraq. Shiites considered the later caliphs to be usurpers. The Sunnis no longer have a caliph.)
Titles for the clergy vary from sect to sect and from country to country, but these are the most common:
Grand Mufti – The highest authority in Quranic law and interpretation, a title used mostly by Sunnis.
Sheikh – Used by most clergymen in the same manner that the Rev. is used as a Christian clerical title, especially common among Sunnis. (Not all sheikhs are clergymen. Sheikh can also be a secular title of respect or nobility.)
Ayatollah – Used by Shiites, especially in Iran, to denote senior clergymen, such as Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.
Hojatoleslam – A rank below ayatollah.
Mullah – Lower-level clergy.
Imam – Used by some sects as a title for the prayer leader at a mosque. Among the Shiites, it usually has a more exalted connotation.
The adjective is Islamic. Islamist is an advocate of political Islam, the philosophy that the Quran should rule all aspects of life – religious, political and personal. Islamic fundamentalist should not be used as a synonym for Islamic militant or radical.
