Is Iraq a Shia country?

The majority of Iraq's Muslims are Shia, and the Isis militants gaining ground there are Sunni. According to the Pew Research Center, Iraq is one of only a handful of countries with a Shia majority.

Is Iran a Shia nation?

Iran has the largest Shia majority, with more than 66 million making up nearly 90% of the population. Shia are also in the majority in Iraq and Bahrain. There are sizable Shia communities in Kuwait, Yemen, Lebanon, Qatar, Syria, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

When did Iraq turn Shia?

Late 18th to mid-20th century. Since the late 18th century, most of Iraq's Sunni Arab tribes converted to Shia Islam (particularly in the 19th century). During the 19th century, the Ottoman Empire instituted a policy of settling the semi-nomadic Sunni Arab tribes to create greater centralization in Iraq.

What percentage of Iraq is Shia?

The data on the religious affiliation of Iraq's population are uncertain. 95–99% of the population are Muslims. The CIA World Factbook reports a 2015 estimate according to which 29–34% are Sunni Muslims and 64–69% Shia Muslims.

Which country has the most Shias?

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.

The Battle for Iraq: Shia Militias vs. the Islamic State

Is Turkey Shia or Sunni?

Turkey is a secular state. Even though over 85 percent of its population is Sunni Muslim and its Religious Affairs Directorate represents Sunni Islam, Turkey's secular tradition and legal structure help it refrain from pursuing a sectarian policy. The institutional structure is different in Iran.

Is UAE Sunni or Shia?

There are more Sunni than Shia Muslims in the United Arab Emirates. Over 90% of the Emirati population are Sunni Muslims. The vast majority of the remainder 5-10% are Shia Muslims, who are concentrated in the Emirates of Dubai and Sharjah.

Is Egypt Shia or Sunni?

Islam is the dominant religion in Egypt (Arabic: مِصر‎, romanized: Miṣr) with around an estimated 90.3% of the population. Almost the entirety of Egypt's Muslims are Sunnis, with a very small minority of Shia. Islam has been recognized as the state religion since 1980.

Is Baghdad Sunni or Shia?

Sunni Muslims are approximately 40 percent of the population, of which Arabs constitute 24 percent, Kurds 15 percent, and Turkomans the remaining 1 percent. Shia, although predominantly located in the south and east, are the majority in Baghdad and have communities in most parts of the country.

Is Syria a Shia?

The Sunni Muslims make up the overwhelming majority in the country (74% of Syria's total population)). The Alawites are the minority group (10% of the country's population), followed by Shia Ismailis (1%). Christians are the main non-Muslim group in the country, they comprise 10% of the population .

Is Afghanistan Shia or Sunni?

Islam is the official state religion of Afghanistan, with approximately 99.7% of the Afghan population being Muslim. Roughly 90% practice Sunni Islam, while around 10% are Shias. Most Shias belong to the Twelver branch and only a smaller number follow Ismailism.

How many Shia have been killed by Sunni?

As many as 4,000 people are estimated to have been killed by Shia-Sunni sectarian attacks in Pakistan between 1987–2007. And since 2008, thousands of Shia have been killed by Sunni extremists according to Human Rights Watch (HRW).

What religion was Saddam?

Sometimes he would also be portrayed as a devout Muslim, wearing full headdress and robe, praying toward Mecca. He also conducted two show elections, in 1995 and 2002.

Was Ottoman Sunni or Shia?

Sunni Islam was the official religion of the Ottoman Empire. The highest position in Islam, caliphate, was claimed by the sultan, after the defeat of the Mamluks which was established as Ottoman Caliphate.

Was Saddam Hussein Sunni or Shia?

A majority of Iraqi Arabs are Shias, but Sunnis ran the show when Saddam Hussein, himself Sunni, ruled Iraq. Saddam spread a false belief, still surprisingly persistent in the country today, that Sunnis were the real majority in Iraq.

Can a Sunni convert to Shia?

Essentially, under the traditions of the country, [conversion to Shi'ism] would not be a major problem. Indeed, in the past, many Sunnis made a 'technical conversion' to Shia Islam, as no deduction was then made from their accounts for Zakat (a charitable tax), whereas 2 percent was deducted from Sunni accounts.

Is Kuwait Sunni or Shia?

The Kuwaiti Constitution states that Islam is the main, official religion of Kuwait. Islam and the Islamic Sharia (Islamic law) are the main sources of the Kuwaiti Laws and Legislations. Most of the Kuwaiti population embraces Islam. Majority of the Kuwaiti Muslims are Sunnis and the rest are Shia'a.

How did Iran become Shia?

Until the 16th century, Persia was mostly Sunni. At the turn of that century, the Safavid dynasty conquered much of what is now Iran and made Shiism the official religion. The conversion was accompanied by a massive crackdown on Sunnis, so that over time much of the population became Shia.

What did Saddam Hussein do to Shia?

The Dujail massacre was a mass killing of Shia rebels by the Ba'athist Iraqi government on 8 July 1982 in Dujail, Iraq. The massacre was committed in retaliation to an earlier assassination attempt by the Shia iranian supported Islamic Dawa Party against the then President of Iraq, Saddam Hussein.

Is Saudi Arabia Shia?

An estimated 5-10% 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, Half the population in al-Hasa,.

Is Qatar Sunni or Shia?

Most Qataris belong to the Sunni sect of Islam. Shiites comprise around 10% of Qatar's Muslim population. Religious policy is set by the Ministry of Islamic Affairs and Islamic instruction is compulsory for Muslims in all state-sponsored schools.

Are there Shias in Qatar?

Shia Islam

Shiites comprise around 10% of Qatar's Muslim population. Several of Qatar's most notable merchant families have historically been Shia.

What is Turkey's main religion?

Islam is the largest religion in Turkey. More than 99 percent of the population is Muslim, mostly Sunni. Christianity (Oriental Orthodoxy, Greek Orthodox and Armenian Apostolic) and Judaism are the other religions in practice, but the non-Muslim population declined in the early 2000s.

Is Azerbaijan Shia?

The Muslim population is approximately 85% Shi'a and 15% Sunni; differences traditionally have not been defined sharply. Azerbaijan has the second highest Shia population percentage in the world after Iran.