With Iraq constantly in the news, and with Iran and Saudi Arabia being influential in the area, it's sometimes hard to keep track of who is who. Are the 3 major groups tribes? Political parties? Grouped by geography? Religion is the major factor in determining the groups. Understanding their history and beliefs help us understand how they shape conditions today.

The magazine Mother Jones as put together a "Iraq 101" document that keeps the explanations very simple. I found the simplicity of presentation very helpful. I hope you do too.

The piece is called Who Is This Ali Cat? Sunnis, Shiites, Kurds -- a Primer.

Although the article includes politics, war costs, and other information about how we got where we are today, the explanation of the difference in the religious groups is what caught my attention the most.

Labels: Kurds, mother jones, Muslims, primer, Shiites, Sunnis