The majority of the world’s Muslim population follows the Sunni branch of Islam, and approximately 10-15% of all Muslims follow the Shiite (Shi‘ite, Shi‘a, Shia) branch. Shiite populations constitute a majority in Iran, Iraq, Bahrain, and Azerbaijan. There are also significant Shiite populations in Afghanistan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Yemen. Sunnis and Shiites share ...

This paper argues that Hizbullah’s jihad concept essentially derives from the underprivileged status of the Lebanese Shiite community at the time of the appearance of the party in the early 1980s. Although the ideology of Hizbullah and the articulation of its jihad concept borrowed heavily from ayatollah Khomeini’s doctrinal contributions to Shiism, Hizbullah has readily adapted itself to the n...

Since the end of the Cold War, states have increasingly come under pressure to intervene militarily and, in fact, have intervened militarily to protect citizens other than their own from humanitarian disasters. Recent efforts to enforce protected areas for Kurds and no-fly zones over Shiites in Iraq, efforts to alleviate starvation and establish some kind of political order in Somalia, the huge...

one of the practices, particularly important in shi'ism is to pay khums.somesunnites believe there is merely one verse in quran concerning khums; thus itisnot so important. this single verse includes the spoils of war, not business profitand trade as shiites believe in it. but shiites criticize sunnites argument asfollows: 1- firstly, there is more than one quranic verse regarding it, seco...

Iraq is abundant with natural resources and its geographical location makes it strategically important. It is composed of a mountainous region in the northeast and the vast Syrian Desert, inhabited by a few nomadic shepherds. In the southwest lies the heart of the country which is a fertile lowland region watered by the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Most of the population is Muslim Arabs, divide...

The permanent conflict between Palestinians and Israelis in the southern regions of Lebanon forced local Shiites to create their own organization protect interests residents region. Today, Shiite Hizbullah has become an important factor socio-political landscape Lebanon.

Abstract:Iraqi Shiites make up near 60 percent of the population live in the southern half of the country. However, they have been rarely in the circles of power throughout history and often under colonial domination of minorities that reached its peak during the rule of the Ba'ath Party. Thus, the Shiites were considered as an opposition through the history of Iraq, particularly after th...

The article focuses on the situation of Shiites in Bahrain after events “Arab Spring” 2011. make up majority population this country, but continue to be oppressed by ruling Sunni dynasty al-Khalifa Kingdom. Shia political and spiritual leaders are being prosecuted.