Sunnis and Shiites are two subgroups of Muslims, just as Catholics and Protestants are two subgroups of Christians. The Sunni-Shi’a schism emerged 1,400 years ago over a dispute over the inheritance of leadership in the Muslim community after the death of the Prophet Muhammad in 632. Sunnis do not consider Shiites to be Muslims.

With the exception of a few countries such as Iran (mostly Shiite), Iraq and Lebanon (divided between Shiites and Sunnis), most Muslim countries are dominated by Sunnis. In the US, 65% of Muslims consider themselves Sunnis, 11% Shiites, and the rest do not identify with any group, in particular, consider themselves “just Muslims.”