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Sectarian conflict between Sunnis and Shia in the Middle East has been intensifying in recent years, increasing regional instability and the proliferation of proxy wars (such as between Iran and Saudi Arabia in Yemen and Syria). For many Americans, such conflict serves to reinforce stereotypes of Muslims as inherently and inevitably engaged in sectarian conflict, and predisposed to the use of violence when problems arise. These perceptions not only seep into policy circles, statements, and even presidential campaigns, but also suggest that Muslim societies and Islam itself are, by their belief system, internally prone to hatred and are on a collision course with anyone who disagrees with them. Then-President Obama described the tensions tearing the Middle East apart as a resurgence of “ancient sectarian differences” that have been present since the dawn of Islam. The implication is that the US is incapable of …