Are American Muslims sunnis, shias, or do they belong to other groups?
114276
It depends my friend, If they immigrated from Iran or some parts of Iraq then they are probably  Shias.If they come from the middeleast North Africa or elsewhere then defenitaley they are sunnis.Actually there are almost no other groups or let`s just say that these other groups didn`t spread outside the muslim countries ,even their spreading in the muslim world is very limited.If you are talking about Americans who converted to Islam ,also it depends upon the person who guided them to Islam but most probably they would be sunnis as the majority of the muslims are sunnis
416106
He probably considers himself a descendant of Ali since he is the head of a theocratic Islamic state.  As such, what he says goes.  I believe it's a major difference between Shi'i and Sunni Islam, with the Sunni being less apt to allow their political leaders to determine their mode of expressing their faith.  Islam is a religion of orthopraxy and not orthodoxy.  In such religions, one places more weight on what they do everyday than they do in other religions.  Leaders are expected to perscribe what rules of behavior are to be followed by the people of their countries.
499373
yes ,not all Muslims are true Muslims, most of them are muslim just by the name .
735671
What are "Arabics?"\n\nAre you referring to Muslims, because most of them are not Arab-Americans.\n\nOr are you referring to Arab-Americans, because most of them are not Muslim.
763083
There is really no main difference between a sunni and a shiite. A sunni just believes differently about the caliphs (religious leaders after Muhamed's pbuh death) saying that Ali (RA) was the first while a shiite believes Abu Bakr (RA) was the first. There are other differences too, but they are minor and thus there is not a main difference. personally, i'm a sunni and for me all that matters is that a shiite is still a muslim ............. we do follow the same book after all \n\nas for the fights and wars among each other ......... poki answered correctly - damn politics\n\nEDIT: i'll just add that Abu Bakr (RA) was related to our prophet (pbuh) by blood, whille Ali (RA) was not ............ shiite believe caliphs whould descend from blood line, sunni don't think it matters really
276263
Sunni and Shiite muslims disagree over who was the caliph. The shiite believe that the grandsons of Mohammed should have been the caliph (leader of the Islamic ummah.) The Sunnah believe in a different line, led off by a friend of Mohammed Abu Bakr.\n\nThere are other subtle differences - such as the rites and celebrations. Shia tend to focus on the martyrdom of the grandsons at Karbala, and as such have a devotion for saints that is not entirely unlike the Catholics. Shia each are expected to devote themselves to an Imam (also almost the way a Catholic is under a bishop.)\n\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shia
1112377
You forgot one group they champion; al queda.  Sadly they are finding themselves politically alligned with the most radical group in Islam.  Afterall both the liberals in America (and abroad) want the same thing as al queda - for the US to lose.
298382
There are some tribes that are Sunni and Shiie but I don't think it could be possible to say who is Shiie and who is Sonni just by looking at them.\nThere are small differences in Rituals like the way they pray their daily prayer.\nUsually Shiie and Sunnis have different gathering places so if someone wants to hurt a Shiie he can go to a Shiie mosque.
173034
Okay, so you know, the two largest branches of Islam are spelled (in English) Sunni and Shi'a (of which the adherents are known as Shiites).\n\nIran is a majority-Shiite country.
861734
Christianity, Islam, and sometimes Judaism (depending on the sect).
586572
While there are American people that heat or hate all Muslims, most don't.  Making that generalization is the same as saying that all Muslims are terrorists.  It implies racism at worst and ignorance at the least.
225642
that's a different Islam!!!!!!americanize.......Ali and X great people--- the others are fools........
767449
the sitation in Iraq is understandable and it has nothing to do with "religion" \n\nregardless of the (minor) religious difference Sunnis and Shiites lived together in peace for centuries.\nit wasn't until the invasion of Iraq when hell broke loose. at first, the Iraqis rejoiced when the US military over thrown the Ba'th regime of Saddam Hussein.\n\nnow we have the Iraqi people (Sunnis and Shiites) and Al Qaida (foreign fighters from all over the Mideast and mostly Sunnis) in Iraq right.\nAl Qaida in Iraq are committed to fight the Americans in Iraq to the bitter end until we either get out or get killed. that's how they think.\n\nafter the first few months the majority of the Iraqis who "rejoiced" when Saddam was caught, started to get tired of the US occupation and the militias started to grow.\nin the beginning there was no fighting between Shiites and Sunnis at all. all the fighting was basically against the US and UK. Sunni Iraqis who wanted to get involved in this joined Al Qaida (foreign Arabs) and Shiites Iraqis joined Al Mahdi Army in Baghdad's Sadr city.\nnow this Mahdi militia was showing our troops hell until the US Army had to make a truce with their leader Muqtada Al Sadr and promised him that the new regime will be controlled by Shiites instead Sunnis who ruled Iraq for many many years under Saddam's regime.\n\nSunnis see this as treason and therefore justify killing the "traitors". they started bombing Shiite neighborhoods, mosques, and markets.\nbottom line is our military is some what responsible for all the sectarian violence between Sunnis and Shiites.\n\nin my opinion both Shiites and Sunnis who do kill innocent people for no reason other than being Sunni or Shiites (civilians) are vicious animals and don't deserve to breath.\nunfortunately the civil war has erupted and there's nothing we can do to stop it.\nmark my words. this current regime will not last for too long.
634503
A lot of those who die everyday, are normal hard working people, just trying to get to work, or school. Its really sad that Americans have such a big misconception about that. Look at the one guys response, saying they are rude. How the heck are they rude? There was always a division between the Sunni and Shia, but now its such a division!
3581
Islam does not have nearly as many sects and divisions as does Christianity, but there are a few and it is worth knowing something about them. The two biggest are the Sunnis and the Shi'ites, with the Sunnis being the largest of all and representing the vast majority of Muslims. Shi'ites are a minority everywhere except Iran. \n\nAfter them, the two most influential sects are the Sufis and the Wahhabis. The Sufis represent a mystical tradition in Islam, whereas the Wahhabis are a strict traditionalist tradition which is dominant on the Arabian peninsula, but has little support elsewhere. \n\nUnlike churches, mosques are not denominational. Despite the differences among Muslims, traditional Friday prayer services are largely similar and Muslims of any background are welcome to attend services at any mosque. \n\nWho are the Sunnis?\nSunnis are Muslims who are considered the more "orthodox" believers. Sunnis follow all of the most traditional beliefs and actions. \n\nWho are the Shi'ites?\nThe term Shi'a is a shortened form of Shi'at Ali, which means "the party of Ali" - and at the time of Ali's death in 661, that is probably all it was: a party or tendency of people who supported Ali's claims to the caliphate. Over time, they became the largest non-Sunni sect in Islam. \n\nWho are the Sufis?\nSufism is important to the development of Islam because it is in this tradition that the more spiritual and mystical aspects were preserved. This stands in contrast to the mainstream of Islam which, through its first centuries, was more concerned with the expansion and organization of the general community. \n\nWho are the Kahrijites?\nIn Arabic, their label means "to go out" - they were, in effect, the first Mulism dissidents and rebels, being present almost from the dawn of Islam. Like later dissidents, they chose to separate themselves from the main body of believers, feeling that the majority of Muslims had lost the "true path." \n\nWho are the Wahhabis?\nMuhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab could be considered the first modern Islamic fundamentalist. He made the central point of his reform movement the idea that absolutely every idea added to Islam after the third century of the Mulsim era was false and should be eliminated. \n\nWho are the Ismailis?\nAn early Shi'a sect which split from the main group because of a dispute over who should be considered the next Imam. \n\nWho are the Zaidis?\nFormed by Zaid, a grandson of Husain, the Zaidis have believed that the true Imam must publicly assert his claim to the title and seek to overthrow the corrupt regime run by unacceptable rulers. \n\nWho are the Fatimids?\nThe Fatimids are a successor movement to the Isma'ilis and are descendants of Fatima and Ali through the line of Isma'il. In the tenth century, those descendants asserted themselves as caliphs in North Africa, and ruled Egypt from 969 to 1171. \n\nWho are the Nizari?\nThis sect is actually very well known around the world, but under a different name: the Assassins. \n\nWho are the Alawis?\nAlso known as Nusayris, the Alawis are a branch of Isma'ilism which has gone so far along its own path that many Muslims no longer even regard it as a form of Islam. The term Alawis actually just means "followers of Ali," which is used in some countries to refer to all Shi'a in general. Some think that they worship Ali as God, but that isn't entirely accurate. \n\nWho are the Druze?\nThe Druze comprise another sect which is not widely regarded as being "truly" Muslim. This group diverged from mainstream Islam in the eleventh century when some Isma'ilis started to believe that God became manifest in the personality of a prophet or imam. \n\nWho are the Baha'i?\nBaha'i is another movement which is descended from Islam, but which most Muslims today no longer regard as authentically Islamic. \n\nMost of these are Arab Muslims.. The Kurds
963174
Suspect the Marines are wondering the same thing.  It has become a confusing state of affairs,  You have Sutr's militia [Shias'] replacing Americans in Sutr City. slum area of the Shias. Then you have Militia running about and it's not clear who they are.  almost always just referred to as terrorist and sometimes Chias.  My conclusion has been "It's a fiasco."
581999
There are different types of Muslims just as there are differnt types of jews,christians, etc. Yes alot of fighting happens between sunnis and shia's because sunnis (not all but most) say that the angel Gabriel went to the wrong house. It would be almost blasphemous if someone said that about Mary Imagine if someone told you that God impregnanted the wrong woman. God forbid. Its such a horrible accusation.  So yeah alot of tension.\nAnd yeah alot of tension about Palastine but also because they are cursed because of them killing the prophets (including jesus) Not to mention their ungratefulness to God when he saved them from Pharoh\nAnd God knows Best\nPray that helps