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Islam, specifically Sunni Islam of the Hanbali school, is the state religion in Saudi Arabia. [6] According to official statistics, in 2022 90% of Saudi Arabia's 15 to 20 million citizens [17] were Sunni Muslims, [18] 10-12% are Shia, [4] many Twelver Shia populating the eastern regions and Zaydi Shia in the south of the country. [19]
[98] [100] In the Eastern provinces of Saudi Arabia there are Shia courts who deal with cases such as marriage, divorce and inheritance. [101] Shia demonstrations in Qatif have sometimes led to conflict with Sunni Saudi religious authorities who disapprove of Shia commemorations marking the martyrdom of Husayn ibn Ali by Yazid I.
The Saudi government has refused to allow Shiite teachers and students exemption from school to partake in activities for the Day of Ashura, one of the most important religious days for Shiites which commemorates the martyrdom of Muhammad's grandson, Husayn bin Ali, at the hands of the second Sunni Umayyad Caliph, Yazid.
The Majority of Saudi Shia belong to the sect of the Twelvers. [181] The Saudi conflict of Shia and Sunni extends beyond the borders of the kingdom because of international Saudi "Petro-Islam" influence. Saudi Arabia backed Iraq in the 1980–1988 war with Iran and sponsored militants in Pakistan and Afghanistan who—though primarily targeting ...
The official form of Islam is Sunni of the Hanbali school, in its Salafi version. According to official statistics, 90% of Saudi citizens are Sunni Muslims, and 10% Shia. [36] More than 30% of the population is made up of foreign workers [36] who are predominantly but not entirely Muslim. It is unknown how many Ahmadi there are in the country. [37]
Islam is 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. Shia Muslims are a numerical majority in Iraq and Bahrain.
Millions of Shiite Muslims — in Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and beyond — are marking the festival of Ashoura.
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. [1]