Editing Islam: How to tell a Shiite from a Sunni?
9/11 made the United States, as well as much of the non-Muslim world, sit up and take notice of Islam—this often-strange and mysterious faith that has 1 billion followers world-wide. We Americans get most of our information from TV, newspapers, and online sources. But how do our editors and journalists learn about Islam? I have no idea. Some are very astute; you can tell that they have done their homework. Others are still woefully inadequate and incorrect when reporting on Islamic issues.
You would think that, 15 years after 9/11, those who bring us the 24-hour news cycle would have a better understanding of Islam and some basic, yet vital, Islamic terms and ideas. As editors and reporters cover the clusterfuck that is the Middle East, they often label people and groups as Sunni or Shiite. Now this info is good to know, but what do these terms actually mean?
So here today I am going to give you the entry in the AP Stylebook that discusses this great schism in the Muslim faith. It is certainly just a drop of water in a very big well. As always, if you want more information, refer to the books in my Editing Islam Resources post. The AP Stylebook quote is verbatim, but I will add some notes in green paraphrased from Seyyed Hossein Nasr‘s book The Heart of Islam.
AP Stylebook, Religion Guidelines, page 461
“The schism between Sunni and Shiite stems from the early days of Islam and arguments about Muhammad’s successors as caliph, the spiritual and temporal leader of Muslims during that period. [The record is uncertain about whether Muhammad himself designated an heir. Shiites believe he privately chose Ali, but Sunnis dispute this.] The Shiites wanted the caliphate to descend through Ali, Muhammad’s son-in-law [and first cousin. Much in the Shiite–Sunni conflict was about how a leader should be chosen, by bloodline or by merit. Those supporting merit, not lineage, chose Abu Bakr, who was a wise man and one of Muhammad’s first followers. Abu Bakr was the first caliph.] Ali eventually became the fourth caliph, but he was murdered; Ali’s son, al-Hussein, was massacred with his fighters at Karbala, in what is now Iraq. Shiites considered the later caliphs to be usurpers. The Sunnis no longer have a caliph.”
Nasr paraphrased: Shiites got their name from the words shi’at (partisans) of Ali. The word Sunni means follower of the sunna (actions) of the Prophet; and also is a term for “the majority.” Here is another tidbit: Currently, 87% of Muslims are Sunni and 13% are Shiite.
Grammar note for editors and writers: Shiite–Sunni takes the en dash. It is also used in dates (“the July–August school session”) or where you might mean “versus” (the Bears–Steelers game”).
There are many spellings for Shiite Islam. I used Shiite here because that is the AP Stylebook spelling. You will also see Shi’a, Shia, or Shi’ite. I prefer Shi’a Islam myself. However, because these words are transliterated from the Arabic, various spellings of many Islamic words are common.
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