Description

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This is the first book on the Arab Shi'a community, a group whose identity and relations to the rest of the Middle East cut to the heart of politics and society in the Arab and Muslim world. The Arab Shi'a represent a majority of the overall population along the Arab coast of the Persian Gulf and are the largest religious group in Lebanon. Historically there have been major tensions between the Shi'a and Sunni communities. This book, based on extensive field interviews, examines the nature of Shi'ite belief and community life, contemporary political and social problems, key grievances, and the nature of their relationship with the dominant Sunni state today as they seek a major voice in a new political order. Integration of the Shi'a is a key to orderly political evolution in the Gulf in the next century.

About the Author

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GRAHAM E. FULLER is Senior Political Analyst at RAND Corporation. REND RAHIM FRANCKE is Executive Director of the Iraq Foundation.

Praise For…

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"As a monograph dealing with policy issues related to the Arab Shi'I, this book is very successful and is of special interest to scholars, activists, and policy-makers dealing with issues related to the Arab Shi'i."--International Journal of Middle East Studies
“This book is especially valuable for policy considerations....” —The New York Times Book Review
“In this lucid, highly readable, and timely book, Fuller and Francke provide an interesting and informative analysis of the travail of the Shi'a politics in the Arab world and explain various patterns of discrimination against the Arab Shi'a.” —Library Journal