The REAL Difference between Sunni and Shi'ia (Shi'ite)?

Ali was the Prophets cousin and his son in law. He married the Prophets daughter and his children were the only people carrying the family tree of the Prophet.

However, he was a genial and calm man. He was very spiritual and those who loved him like hes God himself, decided it was a big conspiracy when the Prophet chose Abu Bakr to be the Caliph after his death.

Basically the shiia are actually called shiiat ali, meaning the party of ali. They loved him to bits and still do. Which is understandable, but they go to extremes with this love and in Islam, extremities are frowned upon.

The difference between Sunni and Shia is the difference between the Holy Roman Empire and the Priori of Sion (from The DaVinci Code). Like the Holy Roman Empire, the Sunni Caliphate was determinedby "elections" which were designed to make sure that powerful elements in the community were OK with the new leader. This may have lasted for a short while, but quickly it became a title that was passed, father-to-son, in some family. In the Holy Roman Empire the family were the Habsburgs, and in the Sunni Caliphate the last family to own the title were the Ottomans. Humorously, just as the Holy Roman Empire ended life as a secular German confederacy during the Napoleonic Wars, the Sunni Caliphate ended its life in in the secular Turkish republic following World War I. After the fall of the last Caliph, some individuals tried to revive the title (for themselves), but nothing came up this. So there is no current Caliph, just as there is no current Holy Roman Emperor.

Meanwhile, the Shia Imamate (like the secret society in the DaVinci Code) is based on blood-descent from a Holy Figure (Jesus Christ through Mary Magdeline, or Muhammed's son-in-law Ali through his daughter, Fatima). Both the Priori of Scion and Shia believe that their current leader (or "Imam") is hiding. Shia additionally believe that this Imam is several hundreds of years old, persecuted by the wicked religious establishment (in this case, the Sunnis), and perhaps hiding in a well. The Imam, like the leader of the Priori of Scion, will reveal himself when the time is right.

Now, in spite of the quirky Shia view of leadership, actual religious Shia organization makes more sense to me. A Shia Muslim "Ayatollah" is a combination of a Bishop and a Doctor of Theology. The reason that no one calls Sadr an "ayatollah" is that he hasn't completed the coursework. So he's a cleric which, like political priests, are a dime a dozen. Shia Islam is run similar to the Catholic Church, except with no strong "Pope."

Ayatollah Khomeini called himself "imam," or "leader," but claimed that this was separate from Imam, the hiding guy. In a similar way, the Catholic Church calls its leader Papa, or "Father," while recognizing this is a very different title than God-the-Father. This didn't catch on though, and the title has not remained in use. So Shia Islam is where the Catholic Church would have been if the First Vatican Council -- which established papal infallibility -- had failed.

Meanwhile, the Sunni Muslims run their religion similar to low-church protestants. How do you get to be a Sunni Muslim cleric? Say you are, and get other Sunni Muslims to follow you. Thus Osama bin Laden is a real Sunni Muslim cleric in the same sense that a KKK prayer-leader was a real baptist cleric.

In short: Sunni Muslims have to wait until some mass movement declares a new Caliph -- an event exactly as likely as the European Union naming some person Holy Roman Emperor. Shia Muslims, for their part, have to wait until their hidden Imam reveals himself and the world ends. In the meanwhile, Sunni Muslims operate similarly low-church protestants while Shia Muslims operate similarly to Lutherans.

And that's the difference between Sunni and Shia.

The "REAL" difference between Sunni and Shi'a is that after the Prophet (SAW) died, his cousins Abu Bakr and Ali feuded for who should lead Islam. The Sunni followed Abu Bakr and the Shi'a followed Ali.

It seems to me that the difference (i.e who led Islam post Muhammed) is not worth all the killing. Why do they not try to reconcile?

well after the golden mosque destruction Jan 2006 the shiite and sunnis destroyed each others mosques and killed some in the line from Mohamed decent dragging them to the streets and murdering them.

the main difference is the systems of belief-yet for the most part they reject Jesus words of being born again and repenting of sins John 3 so they can love all mankind and be a true friend in Jesus my best friend now-but once i was there too-so what can I say, i just pray.

When Muhammed Ali first founded the Islamic religion, he hoped that, through Allah, everyone would "float like a butterfly, sting like a bee".

Now, every muslim prays to mecca (a ritual known as the "thrilla in manilla") on prayer rugs that they call "rope-a-dope".

I hope this helps you out.

Remember that these two factions were feuding cousins. Remember that history, and go from there.