The Partisans of Ali

The United States is immersed more deeply than ever in the Muslim world's sectarian divide. A five-part series explores the split between Shia and Sunnis, from its origins shortly after the death of Muhammed in the seventh century to the modern-day upheaval in Iraq.

We talk with NPR reporter Mike Shusterabout Islam's Sunni-Shia split and how it reverberates through world politics.

(PHOTO: Iraqis inspect the bomb damage inside a Shiite shrine in Samarra, north of Baghdad, Iraq. (Feb. 22, 2006). (AP File)

Guests:

Mike Shuster, NPR correspondent