According to official reports, an assailant opened fire at a revered shrine in south Iran last weekend, killing one and wounding eight.
The Shiite pilgrimage site of Shah Cheragh in the city of Shiraz was attacked, and officials have not yet provided a reason.
Sunni fanatics of the Islamic State, who consider Shiites to be heretics, have previously attacked Iran. Tensions with the West have also contributed to Iran’s ongoing unrest and economic upheaval.
According to Iranian state media, Fars provincial governor Mohammad Hadi Imanieh said a lone shooter carried out the assault and was subsequently apprehended. There was no explanation for the assault.
After the incident, cameras captured security personnel stationed at one of Shah Cheragh’s gates before sunset. When police and government officials finally arrived at the shrine, they loaded the injured into ambulances and transported them away.
The Shiite holy site of Shah Cheragh is among the top five in all of Iran. Shiraz, located around 420 miles south of Tehran, benefits from this influx of pilgrims.
The attack was not claimed by any party.
According to a report, while the Sunni and Shia branches of Islam share many of the same core beliefs and practices, they have been at odds for the better part of the last 14 centuries. Disagreements began when followers of the Prophet Muhammad couldn’t agree on who should take over as head of the Islamic religion.
Approximately 85% of the world’s 1.6 billion Muslims are Sunni, and 15% are Shia.
Sunnis constitute a majority in over forty countries, ranging from Indonesia to Morocco, whereas Shia makes up the majority in Iran, Iraq, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, and Lebanon.
The report reveals that Sunni and Shia are old expressions of identity, but they gain prominence when the culture collapses. They have been at odds for centuries, but the fact that they were able to cohabit peacefully for so long implies that their disagreements have less to do about religion than money and power.
