The Partisans of Ali: A History of Shia Faith and Politics [audio 5 x 9min]

The United States is immersed more deeply than ever in the Muslim world's sectarian divide. A 5-part series explores the split between Shia and Sunnis, from its origins shortly after the death of Muhammad in the seventh century to the modern-day upheaval in Iraq. Part 1: The Origins of the Shia-Sunni Split -- The division in Islam between the Shia minority and the Sunni majority seems to be deepening, not just in Iran and Iraq, but across the Middle East; the split occurred soon after the death of the Prophet Muhammad, nearly 1,400 years ago. Part 2: Shia Rise Amid Century of Mideast Turmoil -- The Shia are a minority among Islam's 1.3 billion people and, for centuries, they have been considered the downtrodden of the Islamic world; but, as turmoil gripped the Middle East in the past 100 years, their prospects have changed dramatically. Part 3: Export of Iran's Revolution Spawns Violence -- Iran's Shiite revolutionaries encountered resistance from the Arab states led by Sunnis, Islam's majority branch, when they tried to export ideology; this resistance spawned unforeseen conflicts throughout the Middle East. Part 4: Iraq War Deepens Sunni-Shia Divide -- When the United States invaded Iraq four years ago, it didn't set out to deepen the Sunni-Shia divide in the Islamic world, but that may be one of the most important outcomes of the war. Part 5: Shia-Sunni Conflict Forces U.S. Shift in Iraq -- America's aims in Iraq changed as the sectarian conflict between Shia and Sunni deepened; now the goal is bringing stability to Iraq, while preventing Shiite Iran's emergence as a regional power.