Timeline of the Sunni/Shiite Conflict in Iraq
632: Muhammad dies. Abu Bakr, Muhammad’s closest advisor, is chosen by as his successor. A small minority favor’s Muhammad’s cousin, Ali, as his successor.
656: Ali is named the fourth caliph after his predecessor is assassinated.
661: Ali is assassinated after unrest and violence spreads amongst Muslims.
680: Hussein, Ali’s Son, marches against the Sunni army, despite an insuperior army. His army is decimated, and he is beheaded. Remaining Shias unite under Hussein’s son.
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873: The 11th Shiite Imam dies. With no one to replace him, The Shia are led by a group of high advisors until 940, at which point the Shia are led by no one.
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1258: Mongol invaders destroy Baghdad and kill the Caliph and his children, ending the Sunni Caliphate.
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1920: Iraqi Muslims, Sunni and Shiite alike participate in an unsuccessful revolt against the British, who controlled Iraq at the time.
1932: Iraq becomes an independant nation under king Faisal, a Sunni and is admitted into the League of Nations.
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May 28, 2004: Iyad Allawi (Shiite) is named interim prime minister of Iraq. Sheik Ghazi Ajil al-Yawar (Sunni) is named president of Iraq.
Nov. 21, 2005: For the first time, a group of Sunni, Shiite, and Kurdish leaders sign a statement that demands a specific time for the pullout of foreign troops.
Aug, 2011: Coordinated explosions in largely Shiite areas of Iraq kill at least 74 people and wound hundreds. Turkey's cross-border air strikes kill up to 100 Kurdish fighters in northern Iraq. A suicide bomber kills 29 people in an attack on Baghdad's largest Sunni mosque.
March, 2012: Hundreds of residents of the Sunni-Muslim city of Fallujah petition Arab Summit leaders to pressure the Shiite-dominated government to establish sectarian balance in government.
656: Ali is named the fourth caliph after his predecessor is assassinated.
661: Ali is assassinated after unrest and violence spreads amongst Muslims.
680: Hussein, Ali’s Son, marches against the Sunni army, despite an insuperior army. His army is decimated, and he is beheaded. Remaining Shias unite under Hussein’s son.
.
873: The 11th Shiite Imam dies. With no one to replace him, The Shia are led by a group of high advisors until 940, at which point the Shia are led by no one.
.
.
.
1258: Mongol invaders destroy Baghdad and kill the Caliph and his children, ending the Sunni Caliphate.
.
.
.
.
.
.
1920: Iraqi Muslims, Sunni and Shiite alike participate in an unsuccessful revolt against the British, who controlled Iraq at the time.
1932: Iraq becomes an independant nation under king Faisal, a Sunni and is admitted into the League of Nations.
.
May 28, 2004: Iyad Allawi (Shiite) is named interim prime minister of Iraq. Sheik Ghazi Ajil al-Yawar (Sunni) is named president of Iraq.
Nov. 21, 2005: For the first time, a group of Sunni, Shiite, and Kurdish leaders sign a statement that demands a specific time for the pullout of foreign troops.
Aug, 2011: Coordinated explosions in largely Shiite areas of Iraq kill at least 74 people and wound hundreds. Turkey's cross-border air strikes kill up to 100 Kurdish fighters in northern Iraq. A suicide bomber kills 29 people in an attack on Baghdad's largest Sunni mosque.
March, 2012: Hundreds of residents of the Sunni-Muslim city of Fallujah petition Arab Summit leaders to pressure the Shiite-dominated government to establish sectarian balance in government.