One of the two main branches of Islam, the other being
Sunni. The majority of people in Iraq and Iran are Shite muslims, but
the Shite muslims are vastly out-numbered in the world by the Sunni. The Sunni believe
Mohammad should have picked his own successor, the Shite believe it should have been Ali, the nephew of Mohammad, so they have been killing each other for about 700 years now over this.
Example:
The
Shites, once an
oppressed minority in Iraq, now control the government, and have increased the influence of the
Iranian Shites in the Middle-East.