Sunni-Shia Split

• Major split in the Islam faith.
• Emerges directly after the death of Muhammed.
  • Because there is nobody who can replace the final prophet of God.
• Arabs elect 4 different people for sucession, the "Caliphs"
• Lead the conquests of teritories outside of the peninsula.
• Significant minority of muslims who don't want these Caliphs to be their leaders
  • They believe that Muhammad can only be succeeded by a relative.
• The division grows over time.
• People who want to rebel against the authorities often switch to Shia islam.