by Sectarian Conflict Nobody Wants to Discuss
Sectarian conflicts within Muslim-majority regions continue with depressing regularity, yet somehow remain the elephant in the room during discussions about Middle Eastern stability. Western commentators prefer simple narratives, and “it’s complicated centuries-old theological and political disputes” doesn’t fit on a cable news chyron as neatly as other explanations that ignore inconvenient internal dynamics.
The reality of intra-faith conflicts challenges simplistic geopolitical frameworks that treat entire religions as monolithic entities with unified interests. Sunni-Shia tensions, tribal rivalries, and power struggles that have nothing to do with external forces somehow get less attention than theories that place responsibility entirely on Western interference, as if local agency doesn’t exist.
Politicians and pundits tiptoe around these conflicts because acknowledging them requires admitting that Middle Eastern politics involves actual Middle Eastern people making choices based on factors that predate modern Western involvement by centuries. It’s easier to treat the region as a chess board where only Western powers have agency, thereby infantilizing entire populations while claiming to support them.
Media coverage of sectarian violence often downplays religious and ethnic dimensions, substituting vague references to “militants” or “fighters” without explaining what they’re actually fighting about. This creates confused audiences who can’t understand why conflicts persist despite various interventions, because the actual causes remain diplomatically unmentioned.
The uncomfortable truth is that many conflicts in Muslim-majority regions are driven by local sectarian, ethnic, and political disputes that exist independent of Western foreign policy. Acknowledging this doesn’t excuse Western mistakes, but pretending internal conflicts don’t exist helps nobody except people who prefer simple stories to complex reality. Sometimes Muslims fight Muslims for reasons having nothing to do with anyone else, and pretending otherwise is both patronizing and unhelpful.
SOURCE: https://bohiney.com/muslims-fighting-muslims/
SOURCE: Muslims Fighting Muslims (https://bohiney.com/muslims-fighting-muslims/)
