Of all international conflicts, one of the most controversial and often occurring would be the religious conflict, This can be inter-faith as well as intra-faith, that would concern sects of the same religion at opposing ends of an argument.
It is this intra-faith conflict which has marred relationships in the Middle East for may years now. The Arabian Gulf holds the holiest places for both major sects of Islam. The Ka'aba in Makkah (Saudi Arabia) which is revered by all Muslim and the battle ground of Karbala which is sacred for Shia Muslims. Also on the Arabian Gulf is the capital of Shia Islam- The Islamic Republic of Iran. Saudi Arabia and Iran have always had tense relations owing to the fact that they each represent a different sect of Islam. Recently when anti-government protests broke out in Bahrain (a predominantly Shia country), Saudi was quick to point it's finger at Iran. According to Saudi, Iran is trying to destabilize the Sunni countries so as to ascertain power in the region for itself. This resulted in the other Arab nations (which sided with Saudi) starting to deport and discriminate against the Shia population that reside in their countries.
It is this intra-faith conflict which has marred relationships in the Middle East for may years now. The Arabian Gulf holds the holiest places for both major sects of Islam. The Ka'aba in Makkah (Saudi Arabia) which is revered by all Muslim and the battle ground of Karbala which is sacred for Shia Muslims. Also on the Arabian Gulf is the capital of Shia Islam- The Islamic Republic of Iran. Saudi Arabia and Iran have always had tense relations owing to the fact that they each represent a different sect of Islam. Recently when anti-government protests broke out in Bahrain (a predominantly Shia country), Saudi was quick to point it's finger at Iran. According to Saudi, Iran is trying to destabilize the Sunni countries so as to ascertain power in the region for itself. This resulted in the other Arab nations (which sided with Saudi) starting to deport and discriminate against the Shia population that reside in their countries.
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This intra-faith conflict is not only at the international level, but at the domestic level as well. Pakistan is facing serious religious conflicts between the Sunnis and the Shias where the Shias have been the major target of extremist Sunni groups.
In addition to Zainabs comment, the Sunni Shia conflict is not relevant only to Pakistan but the entire Islamic community. Islamic people have been in a multitude of conflicts, the most significant of which are intra-faith conflicts. One of the initial examples of such conflicts with relevance to Islam can be drawn from the time of the Holy Prophet PBUH, when after his death, there was a dispute among Sunnis and Shiites regarding who will succeed him. This Sunni and Shiite conflict is prevalent even in the modern era, where Sunni and Shia groups are not only targeting each other's individuals but are also working to degrade the opposing ideology. Another recent addition to what may be regarded as an intra-faith conflict is the dispute between extremist and liberal Muslims where each side directs criticism towards the other's beliefs and ideas, even though both follow the same religion. The conflict has proliferated to extent that certain extremists groups have even engaged in using armed force. This has resulted in a contamination of the image of the religion of peace and a religion of violence and terrorism, which shows how intra-faith conflict can be detrimental for the entire international community.
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