Sunni and Shiite Islam: Do you know the difference? Take our quiz.

Quiz results

Your score	Average reader score	Expert score
18 Correct 1 Wrong 95% You answered 18 of 19 questions correctly for a total score of 95%.	74%

How did you do? For more on the religious differences between Sunni and Shiite Islam, see Dan Murphy's recent article.

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Your results

Question	Your Response	Correct Answer	Score
Which Muslim sect is larger demographically?	Sunni	Sunni
Which sect believes that the prophet Muhammad's son-in-law Ali was the rightful successor as the leader of Islam?	Sunni	Shiite
Which sect is more hierarchical in structure?	Shiite	Shiite
Which sect observes the holy month of Ramadan?	Both Sunni and Shiite	Both Sunni and Shiite
Which sect observes Ashura as a holy day of mourning that can include displays of self-flagellation?	Shiite	Shiite
Which sect recognizes Mecca as a holy city?	Both Sunni and Shiite	Both Sunni and Shiite
Mullahs of which sect were the driving force behind Iran's Islamic Revolution in 1979?	Shiite	Shiite
Saddam Hussein, who oppressed Iraq's majority sect, was himself a member of which sect?	Sunni	Sunni
Osama bin Laden was an adherent of which sect?	Sunni	Sunni
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is more closely associated with which sect?	Shiite	Shiite
Saudi Arabia is the most powerful country of which sect?	Sunni	Sunni
The title Sayyid is used by members of which sect?	Both Sunni and Shiite	Both Sunni and Shiite
The name for which sect comes from the Arabic word for follower?	Sunni	Sunni
The Islamist militant group Hezbollah adheres to which branch of Islam?	Shiite	Shiite
Which sect considers members of the other to be apostates?	Neither Sunni nor Shiite	Neither Sunni nor Shiite
Which branch of Islam did Syria's Alawites come from?	Shiite	Shiite
Iran is the most powerful country of which sect?	Shiite	Shiite
What is the majority sect in the most populous Muslim country?	Sunni	Sunni
The name for which sect comes from the Arabic word for partisans?	Shiite	Shiite