Do you know a Sunni from a Shiite?

In 2006, The New York Times interviewed dozens of US congressmen, all of whom did not know the difference between Sunni and Shiite Muslims. With violence between the sects ravaging the Middle East, the ignorance of these representatives reinforces America’s image of ethnocentricity and arrogance. It is, however, NO EXCUSE, for high school students.

Here is a brief cheat-sheet:
-The two major sects of Islam -- Sunni and Shiite -- split 1,400 years ago over a disagreement involving the Prophet Mohammad’s successor.
-Today, the Middle East is divided thusly:

• Iraq - predominantly Shiite
• Baath (party of Saddam Hussein) - Sunni
• Iran - predominantly Shiite
• Saudi Arabia - predominantly Sunni
• Pakistan - predominantly Sunni
• Palestine - predominantly Sunni
• Al-Qaeda - Sunni
• Hezbollah (militant party in Lebanon)- Shiite
• Hamas (militant party in Palestine)- Sunni