Impact of Shia-Sunni Annoyances on the Contemporary Geopolitics in the Middle East: A Critical Appraisal
The modern-day Shiite-Sunni split between the Sunnite Kingdom of SaudiArabia and Shia theocracy Islamic Republic of Iran is predominantly portrayed as a sectarian conflict. Instead, their rivalry constituted geopolitical, economic, military, and religious supremacy and legitimacy in the region of the Middle East. Riyadh and Tehran are convoluted in a complex rivalry over a volatile region where both want their dominance and become a Muslim world leader. Religious dissimilarities are of secondary worth for the political elite of both the states, despite the doctrinal variance of Wahhabism and Shiism in their socio-religious setup; the competition of geostrategic influence in the Middle East makes the primary concern instead. Both countries have directly and indirectly supported sectarian violence and militancy in the region, which has caused immense harm to Muslim unity. Muslims are embroiled in several problems and conflicts throughout the world in the name of religious sectarianism, which has weakened their position at the international level.
-
Shia-Sunni, Sectarianism, Political Rivalry, Theological Divide, Islamophobia, Muslim Unity, Middle East
-
(1) Inayat Kalim
Assistant Professor, Department of Humanities, COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Islamabad, Pakistan.
(2) Muhammad Mubeen
Assistant Professor, Department of Humanities, COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Islamabad, Pakistan.
(3) Sohail Ahmad
Assistant Professor, Department of Humanities, COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Islamabad, Pakistan.
- Aarts, P., & van Duijne, J. (2009). Saudi Arabia after U.S.-Iranian Détente: Left in the Lurch? Middle East Policy, 16(3), 64-78. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-4967.2009.00404.x
- Amiri, R. S. K., & Fereidouni, H. (2011). Iran's Economic Considerations after the War and its Role in Renewing of Iran-Saudi Diplomatic Relations. Cross-Cultural Communication 6(3), 45-54.
- Bahrain king offers reform talks in July. (2011, June 1). Kuwait Times.
- Coll. S. (2004). Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and Bin Laden from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001. Penguin Books, London pp. 712. https://www.amazon.com/Ghost-Wars-Afghanistan- Invasion-September/dp/0143034669
- UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic. (2012). The Sunni-Shia Divide. Https://Www.Cfr.Org/Sunni- Shia-Divide/
- Fisher, M. (2016, January 5). the real roots of Sunni-Shia conflicts beyond the myth of ancient religious hatreds. VOX. https://www.vox.com/2016/1/5/10718456/sunni-shia
- Gupta, S. K. (2015, May 31). The Long, violent history of the Shia-Sunni conflict. The Pioneer. https://www.dailypioneer.com/2015/sunday-edition/the- long-violent-history-of-shia-sunni-conflict.html
- Hazleton, L. (2009) After the Prophet: The Epic Story of the Shia-Sunni Split in Islam, Doubleday Books Publisher, pp 239. https://www.amazon.com/After-Prophet-Story-Shia-Sunni- Split/dp/0385523947
- Nasr, S. V. (2016). The Shia Revival: how conflicts within Islam will shape the future. https://www.amazon.com/Shia-Revival-Conflicts-within- Future/dp/0393329682
- BBC News. (2015, January 25). India and the US seal the nuclear deal as Modi hosts Obama. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-30930581
- Wehrey, F. et al. (2009). Saudi-Iranian Relations Since the Fall of Saddam: Rivalry, Cooperation, and Implications for US Policy. https://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/MG840.html
- Williams, T., & Adnan, D. (2010, October 17). Sunnis in Iraq Allied with the US Quitting to Rejoin Rebels. https://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/17/world/middleeast/17awakening.ht ml
- Yapp, M. E. (1996). The Near East since the First World War: A History to 1995. https://www.routledge.com/The-Near-East-since-the-First-World-War- A-History-to-1995/Yapp/p/book/9780582256514
- Yemen Leader's Role Presents Thorny Issues for US (2010, January 5). New York Times.
Cite this article
-
APA : Kalim, I., Mubeen, M., & Ahmad, S. (2016). Impact of Shia-Sunni Annoyances on the Contemporary Geopolitics in the Middle East: A Critical Appraisal. Global Regional Review, I(I), 314-323. https://doi.org/10.31703/grr.2016(I-I).24
-
CHICAGO : Kalim, Inayat, Muhammad Mubeen, and Sohail Ahmad. 2016. "Impact of Shia-Sunni Annoyances on the Contemporary Geopolitics in the Middle East: A Critical Appraisal." Global Regional Review, I (I): 314-323 doi: 10.31703/grr.2016(I-I).24
-
HARVARD : KALIM, I., MUBEEN, M. & AHMAD, S. 2016. Impact of Shia-Sunni Annoyances on the Contemporary Geopolitics in the Middle East: A Critical Appraisal. Global Regional Review, I, 314-323.
-
MHRA : Kalim, Inayat, Muhammad Mubeen, and Sohail Ahmad. 2016. "Impact of Shia-Sunni Annoyances on the Contemporary Geopolitics in the Middle East: A Critical Appraisal." Global Regional Review, I: 314-323
-
MLA : Kalim, Inayat, Muhammad Mubeen, and Sohail Ahmad. "Impact of Shia-Sunni Annoyances on the Contemporary Geopolitics in the Middle East: A Critical Appraisal." Global Regional Review, I.I (2016): 314-323 Print.
-
OXFORD : Kalim, Inayat, Mubeen, Muhammad, and Ahmad, Sohail (2016), "Impact of Shia-Sunni Annoyances on the Contemporary Geopolitics in the Middle East: A Critical Appraisal", Global Regional Review, I (I), 314-323
-
TURABIAN : Kalim, Inayat, Muhammad Mubeen, and Sohail Ahmad. "Impact of Shia-Sunni Annoyances on the Contemporary Geopolitics in the Middle East: A Critical Appraisal." Global Regional Review I, no. I (2016): 314-323. https://doi.org/10.31703/grr.2016(I-I).24