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Iran's ascent as a regional power in the Middle East, along with shifts in politics and demographics in Lebanon favouring Shia, has heightened Sunni concerns about their Sunni–Arab hegemony. [3] Recent years have witnessed the Iran–Saudi Arabia proxy conflict , as well as sectarian violence from Pakistan to Yemen, which became a major ...
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.
The Shia Crescent (or Shiite 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. In recent years the term has been used in Western political discourse to identify areas under Iranian influence or control, as Iran has sought to ...
A 2003 CIA Factbook map which shows the area mostly inhabited by Sunni Muslim Arabs in light orange. The area was a center of strong support for Ba'athist Iraq; from the 1970s on, many government workers, politicians, and military leaders came from the area. Saddam was born just outside Tikrit.
Islam by country Sunnī Shia Ibadi Map of the Muslim world's schools of jurisprudence [89] Shia Islam is the second largest branch of Islam. [90] It is estimated that 10–13% [91] [92] [93] of the global Muslim population are Shias. They may number up to 200 million as of 2009. [92]
The Middle East-North Africa region hosts 23% of the world's Muslims, and Islam is the dominant religion in every country in the region [26] other than Israel. [ 12 ] The country with the single largest population of Muslims is Indonesia in Southeast Asia , which on its own hosts 13% of the world's Muslims. [ 27 ]
With its various branches, it is the largest Sunni movement in the Arab world, and an affiliate is often the largest opposition party in many Arab nations. The Muslim Brotherhood is not concerned with theological differences, accepting both, Muslims of any of the four Sunni schools of thought, and Shi'a Muslims.
Arab Sunnis form the largest Sunni Muslim community in the country. [9] They form a majority of Sunnis in all districts of the country except for the Al-Hasakah Governorate. [9] In 1991, Professor Alasdair Drysdale and Professor Raymond Hinnebusch said that approximately 60% of the country was formed of Arabic-speaking Sunni Muslims. [4]