For centuries the Muslims have had a saying: “First we kill the Saturday people (Jews), then we kill the Sunday people (Christians).” The ceremonial cap called a fez, supposedly is colored red in honor of the Muslims who dipped their caps in the blood of massacred Christians that flowed in the city of Fez. There is a lot of blood and killing in Islam.

There is also a division within Islam. There are Sunnis and Shiites, and they hate each other. The only thing that unites them is their mutual hatred of Jews and Christians. This schism within Islam is the key to understanding the politics of the Middle East today.

On the map, in orange, is the area under control of Shia or Shiite Islamics. It is primarily Iran. Please note that Iranians (Persians) are not Arabic. The nations surrounding the orange area are Sunni. Sunnis are primarily Arabic (Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Turkey, etc.). Iran and the areas that it influences form what I call the “Shiite Core.”

Today, after the withdrawal of Allied Forces from Iraq, the battle for control between Sunnis and Shiites is the explanation for the current strife in that country. Again, today, the atrocities occurring in Syria are the result of a Shiite sect, the Alawites, desperately trying to retain control in a part of the Middle East that is primarily Sunni. “President” Bashar al Assad is an Alawite Shia Muslim. The surrounding Sunni Muslims according to Stratfor, a geopolitical think tank, are sending “increased amounts of money, supplies, weaponry, training and intelligence support” to the Syrian rebels.

The Sunni/Shia schism explains current events in the Middle East. At some point in the future, they will focus their hatred on Israel, and the outcome is foretold in Zechariah and the Revelation. The Almighty Lord God is in control. When He determines the time is right, “all these things” will occur. May His Name be praised forever!