Shia–Sunni relations
Shia–Sunni discord in Iraq starts with disagreement over the relative population of the two groups. According to most sources, including the CIA's "World Factbook", the majority of Iraqis are Shia Arab Muslims (60%-70%), and Sunni Arab Muslims represent between 32% and 37% of the population. However, Sunni are split ethnically among Arabs, Kurds and Turkmen. Many Sunnis hotly dispute their minority status, including ex-Iraqi Ambassador Faruq Ziada, and many believe Shia majority is "a myth spread by America". One Sunni belief shared by Jordan's King Abdullah as well as his then Defense Minister Shaalan is that Shia numbers in Iraq were inflated by Iranian Shias crossing the border. Shia scholar Vali Nasr believes the election turnout in summer and December 2005 confirmed a strong Shia majority in Iraq.
Shia Islam in Iraq
Shia (; ) Muslims make up the majority of the Iraqi population, with 64 to 69 percent of Iraqis identifying as Shia. Shia Islam has a long history in Iraq; the fourth caliph of Sunni Islam and the first Imam of Shia Islam, Ali ibn Abi Talib, moved the capital of the empire from Medina to Kufa (or Najaf) two decades after the death of Muhammad.