Question:
Why Shia and Sunni Muslims bomb each other’s mosques and kill each other?
Answer:
These conflicts are not truly about religion. They are, in reality, political struggles for power. What is happening is a contest over authority — who should come to power and who should control the government. That is the real issue behind many of these clashes.
When you look closely at many of the people involved in these violent conflicts, you will find that they do not even practice the basic acts of Islamic worship. They do not perform their prayers, they do not follow the religious obligations of Islam, and they do not live according to the teachings of the faith. Instead, they are people who are engaged in struggles for political dominance. Their conflict is about power and control, not about religion.
So, when such individuals fight and kill each other, it is incorrect to say that Islam itself is responsible. If someone wants to blame a religion, they must show where that religion commands such actions. One must ask: does the Qur’an instruct people to do this? Does the Prophet of Islam teach that Muslims should attack one another’s places of worship and kill each other?
When you examine the Qur’an and the teachings of the Prophet, you will not find such instructions. On the contrary, the teachings emphasize justice, restraint, and the prohibition of killing innocent people. Therefore, using Shia–Sunni conflicts as evidence to accuse Islam itself is based on a misunderstanding.
In short, these violent struggles arise from political ambitions and human failures, not from the teachings of Islam. Blaming the religion for the actions of people who do not even follow its principles is neither fair nor accurate.
