Questions Rebels Use to Tell Sunni From Shiite
In The New York Times, Alissa J. Rubin writes, “Whether a person is a Shiite or a Sunni Muslim in Iraq can now be, quite literally, a matter of life and death.” As part of their seizure of territory in western and northern Iraq, Sunni ISIS militants have singled out Shiites to kill from among their captures. “Generally, Iraqi Shiites and Sunnis are often indistinguishable in appearance,” Rubin writes, but ISIS asks hostages for their name, neighborhood, method of prayer, and even musical preference—a religious song can be a tipoff.