Syria Explained: How It Became a Religious War
At CNN, Daniel Burke examines how Syria evolved from an internal uprising to a violent sectarian clash drawing funding and fighters from across the Middle East. With Christians caught in the middle, Shiite Muslims are rushing to the aid of Bashar al-Assad while Sunni Muslims, some affiliated with Al-Qaeda, are joining the rebels. “That is why it has become so muddy,” says professor Joshua Landis, director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma. “The theological question has returned to the center.”