Sam Harris

Can someone explain the difference in beliefs of these two sects? What exactly is their beef against eachother?

Rights of succession to their dictator.

Sunni believe it was Mohammed the p1gfXXXer’s buddy so and so.  Shia believe it was his nephew, what’s his name.  Mohammed never having a child, him shooting blanks or something like that.  They’ve been killing each other over it ever since.

There is actually a marginally sane branch of Islam—Sufi.  They believe that god is described through poetry and experienced through dance.

Islamic civil war…just think of it…..moslems killing other moslems! Oh the sheer beauty of this simple equation…..one can only kneel to the east and pray….

the multiple sects of Islam prove that Islam is not the true faith. The very words of Allah, through Mohammad show this;

“Have nothing to do with those who have split up their religion into sects.” (6:164)
“Yet men have divided themselves into factions, each rejoicing in it’s own doctrines. Leave them in their error till a time appointed.” (23:55)

The Koran stresses over and over again that it is the unity of Islam, in the face of the fractious faiths of the Jew and Christian, that make it the true faith. It also claims that the division of other faiths into sects prove that their faith is false. So by dividing into a multitude of sects, Islam has shown itself to be as wrong as every other religion.
Unfortunately, as with every religion, each sect feels that they are following the path as laid out in their book, seeing the other sect as apostate. What all the divisions really show is the falability of those books. Just like Allah said.

Wrong .  He had 5 children ,  one son called Qassim and 4 girls called : oum Kalthoum , Fatima , Qukaya and Zeinab .

the difference is :  the Prophet on the day he was dying told his people that they should not mourn him , he was just a human being , Islam was to remain and so was god . so his mission was accomplished and they just have to turn to god . he never chose a successor because he did not see the need .

Shia believe his nephew Ali should succeed him , and that s why Ali is very important for the Shias .  Sunnis dont seem to believe Ali is a successor to the prophet but a companion and a nephew to the prophet to be respected too. 

The Prophet had always insisted on a unity between Muslims and he would be very sad to see them divided into sunnis and shias.  I personnally come from a sunni country with no shias , and i have never knew this divide until recently . shame