KURDS, TURKMEN AND SUNNI & SHIA: WHO'S WHO IN REGION TORN APART BY HATE
SUNNI AND SHIA
Islam's
two big sects disagree on who should have succeeded the Prophet
Muhammad as leader. Syria’s population is majority Sunni but it has had a
Shia government under President Assad. This is the opposite of Iraq
before the Iraq War, when the minority Sunnis, led by Saddam Hussein,
governed a Shia majority.
Islamic
State is a Sunni group, but many Sunnis have fled areas where it has
taken over in Iraq. It is also known as Isis, Isil or Daesh – an Arabic
acronym hated by the militants because it has multiple negative meanings
including ‘bigots who impose their views’.
Sunnis
are the majority across the Islamic world. Shiites have majorities in
Iran, Iraq and Bahrain, with significant communities in Lebanon, Yemen,
Syria, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.
KURDS
The
fourth largest ethnic group in the Middle East are largely Sunni
Muslims. They have played a large role in the conflicts in Iraq and
Syria, fighting against IS. Turkey has a troubled history with the
Kurds, who are a sizeable minority there and have fought for greater
rights and in some cases independence.
TURKMEN
Ethnic
Turks who have lived in the region of Syria, Iraq and Iran since the
11th century.Backed by Turkey, they are against President Assad and took
up arms against his regime soon after the start of the uprising in
2011. Turkey has complained Russian airstrikes have been targeting
villages where the group live.
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