Throughline From NPR - Throughline Plus

For most of history, Shia and Sunni have co-existed perfectly, peaceably. The best evidence that this conflict is not fundamentally sectarian is the successful pluralism that existed in both Syrian Iraq prior to 2003. At the end of the day, it's not like the tension is related to how many times a day anyone prays. It's really about the balance of power in the Middle East.