Shia Muslims in the Arab world

Last updated

Islam is historically divided into two major sects, Sunni and Shia Islam, each with its own sub-sects. Large numbers of Shia Arab Muslims live in some Arab countries including Lebanon, Yemen, Bahrain, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, the UAE, and Qatar.

Contents

Shia Muslims are a numerical majority in Iraq and Bahrain. Approximately 35% of the population in Yemen and half of the Muslims in Lebanon are Shia Muslims. There is also a very large population of Shia Muslims living in the Persian Gulf countries especially in Saudi Arabia. An estimated 5–10% [1] [2] of citizens in Saudi Arabia are Shia Muslims, most of whom are adherents to Twelver Shia Islam. Twelvers are predominantly represented by the Baharna community living in the Eastern Province, with the largest concentrations in Qatif, and half the population in al-Hasa. In addition there is a small Twelver Shia minority in Medina (called the Nakhawila). Sizable and Isma'ili communities also live in Najran along the border with Yemen. Saudi Arabia officially follows Wahhabism, a strict, recently established sect of Sunni Islam. There is little freedom of religion between the different sects even whilst all of the population are Muslims. Smaller Shia groups are present in Egypt and Jordan.

Despite the heavy presence of Shia Muslims in some Arab countries, particularly among the population of the Persian Gulf Arab countries, they have been treated poorly throughout history. [3] For both historical and political reasons, Shi'a Arabs have fared relative poorly in much of the Arab world, and the topic of Shi‘ism and Shia groups is one of the most sensitive issues for the Sunni elite. [4]

Yemen

Arab Shiites in Yemen have been traditionally suppressed, often violently. [5] [6] Massacres have taken place by government forces using tanks and airplanes to obliterate the uprising of Shī‘a groups in the country. [7] Shias make up about 35% of citizens of Yemen.

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Shias are largely concentrated in Eastern Province and are Baharna. They make up the majority in al-Qatif and half of the population of Al-Ahsa. There is also a small Twelver Shia minority in Medina (called the Nakhawila). Sizable Isma'ili communities also live in Najran along the border with Yemen. An estimated 5–10% [8] [9] of citizens in Saudi Arabia are Shia Muslims.

In the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the treatment of its Shia population has been a subject of scrutiny, with claims of a perceived status as second-class citizens. Restrictions on the construction of Shia mosques beyond the eastern province and the prohibition of Husainyas have been reported. Furthermore, the Saudi government has been accused of engaging in a propaganda campaign against Shia Muslims, employing derogatory terms such as "idolaters" and "mushriks." [10]

Notably, the Saudi government has implemented a ban on marriage between Shias and Sunnis, fostering additional tensions between the two communities. The issue extends beyond domestic matters, as the transnational affiliations of Shiites with religious authorities in other nations have been used as a basis for accusations of disloyalty and even treason against Saudi Shiites. [11]

Additionally, the absence of religious seminaries in Saudi Arabia contributes to the challenges faced by the Shia community in pursuing their religious education. These multifaceted issues reflect the complexities surrounding the status and treatment of Shia Muslims within the Kingdom, warranting attention and analysis. [12]

Iraq

Iraqi Shias are predominantly situated in the southern part of Iraq.

Saddam Hussein and his 15 former aides, including Ali Hassan al-Majid (known as Chemical Ali), were held responsible for their role in the suppression of a Shia uprising and the deaths of 60,000 to 100,000 people. The trial of Chemical Ali took place in Baghdad in August 2007. [13]

Unlike other sects of Islam, the Shias of Iraq have been treated horrifically under the regime of Saddam Hussein, when many Iraqi Shī‘as of Persian descent were expelled from the country in the 1980s, despite being the majority of the country at 60%. Reports indicated that no neighborhood was left intact after the 1991 uprising in Karbala. In the vicinity of the shrines of Husayn ibn Ali and Abbas ibn Ali, most of the buildings surrounding the shrines were completely reduced to rubble. The shrines themselves were scarred from bullet marks and tank fire. [14]

In December 2005, workers maintaining water pipes 500 meters from the Imam Hussein Shrine unearthed a mass grave containing dozens of bodies, apparently those of Shiites killed after the uprising. [15]

Egypt

According to Brian Whitaker, in Egypt, the small Shia population is harassed by the authorities and treated with suspicion, being arrested - ostensibly for security reasons - and subjected to abuse by state security officers for their religious beliefs. [16] Estimated numbers of Egypt’s Shias range from two [17] to three million. [18] [19]

Lebanon

The most recent demographic study conducted by Statistics Lebanon, a Beirut-based research firm, found that 28% of Lebanon's population is Shia Muslim. [20] The Shia are the only sect that has ever had the post of Speaker of Parliament. [21] [22] [23] [24] The Shia Muslims are largely concentrated in northern and western Beqaa, Southern Lebanon and in the southern suburbs of Beirut. [25]

United Arab Emirates

10% of Emirati citizens belong to the Shia sect. In addition, Shia Islam is also practiced among the country's large Iranian community and other Muslim expatriate groups. [26] [27]

Qatar

Shiites comprise around 10% of Qatar's Muslim population. [28]

Kuwait

30-40% of Kuwaiti citizens are Shia Muslims.

Bahrain

Although Shias make up 55-60% of Bahraini Muslim population, the ruling absolute monarchy is Sunni.

Shias in Bahrain have met oppression for many years, during the 2011 Uprisings, a collaborative effort between Shia and Sunni communities sought to bring about the overthrow of the monarchy. Regrettably, during this period, there were instances of misrepresentation and misinformation propagated by the monarchy, falsely implicating Shias in collaborating with the Islamic Republic of Iran. This narrative further exacerbated tensions between the two groups, fanning the flames of sectarianism within Bahrain. [29] [30]

The aftermath of the uprisings has left a lasting impact on the Shia community, with persistent instances of discrimination against Shia Muslims. The Bahraini authorities have been reported to engage in the harassment and physical attacks targeting Shia clerics, thereby curtailing their religious and social influence. [31] [32] Moreover, Shia individuals encounter difficulties in securing desirable employment opportunities, particularly within government positions. [33]

Additionally, there have been documented instances of the Bahraini government impeding the mourning rituals conducted by the Shia community to honor figures such as Imam Hussain and other revered imams. Reports indicate that these actions have included efforts to hinder and disrupt these commemorative events. Furthermore, the government has been alleged to engage in the removal of black flags that Shias traditionally raise in proximity to their mosques and residential areas, which hold symbolic significance within the community's religious practices. [34]

See also

Related Research Articles

Shia Islam is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that the Islamic prophet Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib as his successor (khalīfa) and the Imam after him, most notably at the event of Ghadir Khumm, but was prevented from succeeding Muhammad as the leader of the Muslims as a result of the choice made by some of Muhammad's other companions (ṣaḥāba) at Saqifah. This view primarily contrasts with that of Sunnī Islam, whose adherents believe that Muhammad did not appoint a successor before his death and consider Abū Bakr, who was appointed caliph by a group of senior Muslims at Saqifah, to be the first rightful (rāshidūn) caliph after Muhammad. Adherents of Shia Islam are called Shia Muslims.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Freedom of religion in Saudi Arabia</span>

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is an Islamic absolute monarchy in which Sunni Islam is the official state religion based on firm Sharia law. Non-Muslims must practice their religion in private and are vulnerable to discrimination and arrest. While no law requires all citizens to be Muslim, non-Muslim foreigners attempting to acquire Saudi Arabian nationality must convert to Islam. Children born to Muslim fathers are by law deemed Muslim, and conversion from Islam to another religion is considered apostasy and punishable by death. Blasphemy against Sunni Islam is also punishable by death, but the more common penalty is a long prison sentence; there have been 'no confirmed reports of executions for either apostasy or blasphemy' in the 21st century.

Sectarianism is a debated concept. Some scholars and journalists define it as pre-existing fixed communal categories in society, and use it to explain political, cultural, or religious conflicts between groups. Others conceive of sectarianism as a set of social practices where daily life is organised on the basis of communal norms and rules that individuals strategically use and transcend. This definition highlights the co-constitutive aspect of sectarianism and people’s agency, as opposed to understanding sectarianism as being fixed and incompatible communal boundaries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Islam in Bahrain</span>

Islam is the state religion in Bahrain. Due to an influx of immigrants and guest workers from non-Muslim countries, such as India, the Philippines and Sri Lanka, the overall percentage of Muslims in the country has declined since the late 20th century. Bahrain's 2010 census indicated that 70.2% of the population is Muslim. The last official census (1941) to include sectarian identification reported 16% as Shia and 84 per cent as Sunni of the Muslim population.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arab-Persians</span> People of mixed Arab and Persian background

Arab-Persians are people who are of both mixed Arab and Persian ethnic or cultural background, which is common in Iran, Kuwait, Iraq, Bahrain, and to a lesser extent, Lebanon and Syria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arab League–Iran relations</span> Bilateral relations

The dynamic between the League of Arab States and the Islamic Republic of Iran has been ambivalent, owing to the latter's varying bilateral conduct with each country of the former. Iran is located on the easternmost frontier of the Arab League, which consists of 22 Arab countries and spans the bulk of the Middle East and North Africa, of which Iran is also a part. The Arab League's population is dominated by ethnic Arabs, whereas Iran's population is dominated by ethnic Persians; and while both sides have Islam as a common religion, their sects differ, with Sunnis constituting the majority in the Arab League and Shias constituting the majority in Iran. Since Iran's Islamic Revolution in 1979, the country's Shia theocracy has attempted to assert itself as the legitimate religious and political leadership of all Muslims, contesting a status that has generally been understood as belonging to Sunni-majority Saudi Arabia, where the cities of Mecca and Medina are located. This animosity, manifested in the Iran–Saudi Arabia proxy conflict, has greatly exacerbated the Shia–Sunni divide throughout the Muslim world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shia crescent</span>

The Shia Crescent is the notionally crescent-shaped region of the Middle East where the majority population is Shia or where there is a strong Shia minority in the population.

After the death of Muhammad in 632, a group of Muslims, who would come to be known as the Sunnis, believed that Muhammad's successor as caliph of the Islamic community should be Abu Bakr, whereas a second group of Muslims, who would come to be known as the Shias, believed that his successor should have been Ali ibn Abi Talib. This dispute spread across various parts of the Muslim world, which eventually led to the Battle of Jamal and Battle of Siffin. Sectarianism based on this historic dispute intensified greatly after the Battle of Karbala, in which Husayn ibn Ali and some of his close partisans, including members and children of Muhammad's household, were killed by the ruling Umayyad Caliph Yazid I, and the outcry for revenge divided the early Islamic community, albeit disproportionately, into two groups, the Sunni and the Shia. This is known today as the Islamic schism.

For approximately a millennium, the Abrahamic religions have been predominant throughout all of the Middle East. The Abrahamic tradition itself and the three best-known Abrahamic religions originate from the Middle East: Judaism and Christianity emerged in the Levant in the 6th century BCE and the 1st century CE, respectively, while Islam emerged in Arabia in the 7th century CE.

The article describes the state of race relations and racism in the Middle East. Racism is widely condemned throughout the world, with 174 states parties to the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination by April 8, 2011. In different countries, the forms that racism takes may be different for historic, cultural, religious, economic or demographic reasons.

The Constitution of Bahrain states that Islam is the official religion and that Shari'a is a principal source for legislation. Article 22 of the Constitution provides for freedom of conscience, the inviolability of worship, and the freedom to perform religious rites and hold religious parades and meetings, in accordance with the customs observed in the country; however, the Government has placed some limitations on the exercise of this right.

The Saudi government does not conduct a census on religion or ethnicity, but some sources estimate the Shia population in Saudi Arabia to make up around 20% of the approximately 34 million natives of Saudi Arabia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lebanese Shia Muslims</span> Lebanese adherents of Shia Islam

Lebanese Shia Muslims, communally and historically known as matāwila, are Lebanese people who are adherents of Shia Islam in Lebanon, which plays a major role alongside Lebanon's main Sunni, Maronite and Druze sects. The vast majority of Shia Muslims in Lebanon adhere to Twelver Shi'ism, making them the only major Twelver Shia community extant in the Levant.

The Arab Cold War was a political rivalry in the Arab world from the early 1950s to the late 1970s, as part of the wider Cold War. It is generally accepted that the beginning of the Arab Cold War is marked by the Egyptian revolution of 1952, which eventually led to Gamal Abdel Nasser becoming president of Egypt in 1956. Thereafter, newly formed Arab republics, defined by revolutionary secular nationalism and inspired by Nasser's Egypt, engaged in political rivalries with conservative traditionalist Arab monarchies, led by Saudi Arabia. The Iranian Revolution of 1979 is widely seen as the end of this period of internal conflict and rivalry. Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini was installed as the leader of Iran's theocratic government. A new era of Arab-Iranian tensions followed, overshadowing the bitterness of intra-Arab strife.

Sectarian violence among Muslims is the ongoing conflict between Muslims of different sects, most commonly Shias and Sunnis, although the fighting extends to smaller, more specific branches within these sects, as well as Sufism. It has been documented as having gone on from Islam's beginnings up until contemporary times.

The international reactions to the 2011 Bahraini uprising include responses by supranational organisations, non-governmental organisations, media organisations, and both the governments and civil populaces, like of fellow sovereign states to the protests and uprising in Bahrain during the Arab Spring. The small island nation's territorial position in the Persian Gulf not only makes it a key contending regional power but also determines its geostrategic position as a buffer between the Arab World and Iran. Hence, the geostrategic implications aid in explaining international responses to the uprising in Bahrain. Accordingly, as a proxy state between Saudi Arabia and Iran, Bahrain's domestic politics is both wittingly and unavoidably shaped by regional forces and variables that determine the country's response to internal and external pressures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anti-Shi'ism</span> Prejudice, hatred of, discrimination or violence against Shias

Anti-Shi'ism is hatred of, prejudice against, discrimination against, persecution of, and violence against Shia Muslims because of their religious beliefs, traditions, and cultural heritage. The term was first used by Shia Rights Watch in 2011, but it has been used in informal research and written in scholarly articles for decades.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iran–Saudi Arabia proxy conflict</span> Indirect conflict between Iran and Saudi Arabia

Iran and Saudi Arabia are engaged in an ongoing struggle for influence in the Middle East and other regions of the Muslim world. The two countries have provided varying degrees of support to opposing sides in nearby conflicts, including the civil wars in Syria and Yemen; and disputes in Bahrain, Lebanon, Qatar, and Iraq. The struggle also extends to disputes or broader competition in other countries globally including in West, North and East Africa, South, Central, Southeast Asia, the Balkans, and the Caucasus.

The demographics of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region show a highly populated, culturally diverse region spanning three continents. As of 2022, the population was around 493 million. The class, cultural, ethnic, governmental, linguistic and religious make-up of the region is highly variable.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sectarianism in Saudi Arabia</span>

Sectarianism in Saudi Arabia refers to the Saudi government's "top-down push towards sectarian polarization" between the Sunni majority, and Shi'ite minority. This encompasses anti-Shi'ite policies by the Saudi regime, as well as tensions between the Sunni majority and the Shi'ite minority. The Saudi government is often viewed to be oppressing the Shi'ite community, who constitute up to 15% of the Saudi population. This occurs against the backdrop of the broader Iran-Saudi Arabia proxy conflict, since Iran is a Shi'ite republic.

References

  1. ↑ Saudi Arabia's Shia press for rights Archived 2010-04-07 at the Wayback Machine | bbc|by Anees al-Qudaihi | 24 March 2009
  2. ↑ Council on Foreign Relations Archived 2010-04-11 at the Wayback Machine | Author: Lionel Beehner| June 16, 2006
  3. ↑ https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/shia-muslims-mideast
  4. ↑ The Arab Shi'a: The Forgotten Muslims by Graham E. Fuller and Rend Rahim Francke (Paperback - Sep 22, 2001)
  5. ↑ "Potential Hot Spots: The Shia Rebellion in Yemen". www.strategypage.com.
  6. ↑ "Winds of Change.NET: Yemen: Keepin' The Shi'a Down". www.windsofchange.net. Archived from the original on 2005-11-16.
  7. ↑ "知って得する情報シャリフニュース！ | iQOS、Wimax Wifi、ミネラルウォーターなど日常生活の貴重情報をお伝えします".
  8. ↑ Saudi Arabia's Shia press for rights Archived 2010-04-07 at the Wayback Machine | bbc|by Anees al-Qudaihi | 24 March 2009
  9. ↑ Council on Foreign Relations Archived 2010-04-11 at the Wayback Machine | Author: Lionel Beehner| June 16, 2006
  10. ↑ https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/05/11/mohammed-bin-salman-mbs-saudi-arabia-still-treats-shiites-second-class-citizens/
  11. ↑ https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/05/11/mohammed-bin-salman-mbs-saudi-arabia-still-treats-shiites-second-class-citizens/
  12. ↑ https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/05/11/mohammed-bin-salman-mbs-saudi-arabia-still-treats-shiites-second-class-citizens/
  13. ↑ Iraqi Shia uprising trial begins, Al-Jazeera, August 22, 2007
  14. ↑ Karbala Journal; Who Hit the Mosques? Not Us, Baghdad Says, The New York Times , August 13, 1994
  15. ↑ Mass grave unearthed in Iraq city, BBC News, 27 December 2005
  16. ↑ "Comment, opinion and discussion from the Guardian US | The Guardian". the Guardian.
  17. ↑ Col. (ret.) Dr. Jacques Neriah (September 23, 2012). "Egypt's Shiite Minority: Between the Egyptian Hammer and the Iranian Anvil". JCPA.
  18. ↑ Cam McGrath (Apr 26, 2013). "Spring Brings Worse for Shias". Cairo. Inter Press Service News Agency. Retrieved 29 July 2013.
  19. ↑ Tim Marshall (25 June 2013). "Egypt: Attack On Shia Comes At Dangerous Time". Sky News. Retrieved 29 July 2013.
  20. ↑ "International Religious Freedom Report 2010". U.S. Department of State. 2010-11-17. Retrieved 2013-06-05.
  21. ↑ "Lebanon-Religious Sects". Global Security.org . Retrieved 2010-08-11.
  22. ↑ "March for secularism; religious laws are archaic". NOW Lebanon . Retrieved 2010-08-11.
  23. ↑ "Fadlallah Charges Every Sect in Lebanon Except his Own Wants to Dominate the Country". Naharnet . Retrieved 2010-08-11.
  24. ↑ Hajjar, George J. "Aspects of Christian-Muslim Relations in Contemporary Lebanon". hartsem.edu. Hartford, CT, USA: Hartford Seminary. Archived from the original on August 27, 2012. Retrieved August 4, 2012.
  25. ↑ "Minority Rights Group International". Minority Rights Group.
  26. ↑ "United Arab Emirates". The World Factbook (CIA). 24 June 2015. Archived from the original on June 12, 2007. Retrieved 1 July 2015.
  27. ↑ "International Religious Freedom Report for 2011: United Arab Emirates" (PDF). Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (United States Department of State). 2011. Retrieved 1 July 2015.
  28. ↑ "Mapping the Global Muslim Population" (PDF). Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. October 2009. Retrieved 5 December 2015.
  29. ↑ "How Bahrain's crushed uprising spawned the Middle East's sectarianism". Washington Post. 2021-12-07. ISSN   0190-8286 . Retrieved 2023-09-26.
  30. ↑ Abdo, Genieve. "Repression and regression". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2023-09-26.
  31. ↑ "UPDATED: Bahrain Harasses Shia Clerics Ahead of Ashura Amid Wider Attack on Religious Freedom". Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain. 2018-10-26. Retrieved 2023-09-26.
  32. ↑ "Bahrain jails cleric for kidnap". BBC News. 2011-05-19. Retrieved 2023-09-26.
  33. ↑ "How Bahrain's crushed uprising spawned the Middle East's sectarianism". Washington Post. 2021-12-07. ISSN   0190-8286 . Retrieved 2023-09-26.
  34. ↑ "Performative gestures cannot vanish ongoing religious discrimination in Bahrain". Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain. 2022-04-27. Retrieved 2023-09-26.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.