Shia Islam
Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that the Islamic prophet Muhammad designated ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his successor (''khalīfa'') and the Imam (spiritual and political leader) after him, m ...
in Bahrain is estimated to be approximately 70% of the Muslim population in
Bahrain
Bahrain ( ; ; ar, البحرين, al-Bahrayn, locally ), officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, ' is an island country in Western Asia. It is situated on the Persian Gulf, and comprises a small archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and an ...
. This number is disputed, with the Sunni royal family placing it closer to half, some surveys estimating it to be 62%, and most sources placing the estimate somewhere near 70% of the Muslim population.
This number may no longer be accurate due to the increasing rates of naturalization of Sunni migrants in Bahrain.
Most major mosques in the country are Shia, however, the ruling family practices
Sunni Islam. According to the
Washington Institute, the views of Shia and Sunni leaders in Bahrain are similar to their Arab neighboring countries.
Population
![Sunnis and Shias United for Bahrain](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/38/Sunnis_and_Shias_United_for_Bahrain.gif)
Although more than half of Bahrain's population consists of Shia Muslims (estimated at over 75 percent), the Sunni royal family,
Al Khalifa
The House of Khalifa ( ar, آل خليفة, translit=Āl Khalīfah) is the ruling family of the Kingdom of Bahrain. The Al Khalifas profess Sunni Islam and belong to the Anizah tribe, some members of this tribe joined the Utub alliance which m ...
, governs the country.
History
The Sunni al-Khalifa family arrived in Shia Bahrain from Najd in 1783. Their rule has been oppressive and tyrannical for the native Shia majority. The people of Bahrain celebrated the victory of the Shiite
Iranian Revolution
The Iranian Revolution ( fa, انقلاب ایران, Enqelâb-e Irân, ), also known as the Islamic Revolution ( fa, انقلاب اسلامی, Enqelâb-e Eslâmī), was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dyna ...
and formed gatherings to support it. In 1979, they wanted to participate in determining their own destiny through protests against the Al Khalifa government.
Al Wefaq
Al-Wefaq National Islamic Society ( ar, جمعية الوفاق الوطني الإسلامية; ), sometimes shortened to simply Al-Wefaq, was a Shi'a Bahraini political party, that operates clandestinely after being ordered by the highest co ...
, as part of the Shia society in Bahrain, follows two goals: opposition to the current government in Bahrain and change the structure of society to based on rule of the people. Established in 2001, it was founded by more than 100 Shia scholars such as Ali Salman, Saeid Shahabi,
Abdul Amir al-Jamri
Sheikh Abdul Amir al-Jamri ( ; ar, شيخ عبدالأمير الجمري; 1 March 1938 – 18December 2006) was one of the most prominent Shia clerics and opposition leaders in Bahrain. He was also a writer and a poet.
Born in the village of ...
and
Sheikh Isa Ahmed Qassim, leader of Al Wefaq.
February 14 Youth Coalition
According to behavior of
Al-Khalifa
The House of Khalifa ( ar, آل خليفة, translit=Āl Khalīfah) is the ruling family of the Kingdom of Bahrain. The Al Khalifas profess Sunni Islam and belong to the Anizah tribe, some members of this tribe joined the Utub alliance which mi ...
's government, Shia activists prompted on February 14, 2011. They named that day as the Day of Rage and asked the people to protest against al-Khalifa's behavior at that day. The Al-Khalifa came into contact with the protesters and from that day widespread wave of Al-Khalifa's actions against
Shiites
Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that the Islamic prophet Muhammad designated ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his successor (''khalīfa'') and the Imam (spiritual and political leader) after him, most n ...
has been performed, including the detention of women and men and children and their torture, the destruction of Shia mosques and cemeteries.
Society
There are various sects in Bahrain, such as Baharna, Arab, Howala, Ajam, Asians. On the other hand, dominant political and official system in Bahrain are governed by Sunni people.
According to the reports of
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
, when
Āl Khalīfah
The House of Khalifa ( ar, آل خليفة, translit=Āl Khalīfah) is the ruling family of the Kingdom of Bahrain. The Al Khalifas profess Sunni Islam and belong to the Anizah tribe, some members of this tribe joined the Utub alliance which mi ...
family have begun to govern Bahrain, Shiites who have pieces of land, were changed to peasants. Now, High-ranking official positions belong to Sunnis and only few positions are ruled by Shiites. It is necessary to mention that in Bahrain Sunni is not synonymous with rich, nor Shia with poor, but on the whole the Shia majority faces worse economic circumstances.
Shia scholars
Bahrain has an ancient and historic background which arise from the presence of Shiite scholars.
Some of them are listed as following:
Maitham Al Bahrani, Kamal al-Deen Maitham bin Ali bin Maitham al-Bahrani, commonly known as Sheikh Maitham Al Bahrani was a leading 13th Century Twelver Eastern Arabian theologian, author, and philosopher. Al Bahrani wrote on Twelver doctrine, affirmed free will, the infallibility of prophets and imams, the appointed imamate of `Ali, and the occultation of the Twelfth Imam.
Yusuf al-Bahrani
Yūsuf ibn ʾAḥmad (1695–1772) ( ar, يوسف البحراني) was a Bahraini theologian and a key figure in the intellectual development of Twelver Shia Islam.
Yusuf grew up in Safavid-ruled Bahrain, at a time of intellectual ferment betw ...
Yusuf ibn Ahmed al-Bahrani (1695–1772) (Arabic: يوسف البحراني) was a Bahraini theologian and a dominant person in the intellectual development of Twelver Shia Islam.
Isa Qassim
Grand Ayatollah Sheikh Isa Ahmed Qassim (Arabic: آية الله الشيخ عيسى أحمد قاسم) is Bahrain's leading Shia cleric and a politician. He is the spiritual leader of Al Wefaq, Bahrain's biggest opposition society. He is the fou ...
Ayatollah Sheikh Isa Ahmed Qassim (Arabic: آية الله الشيخ عيسى أحمد قاسم) is Bahrain's leading Shia cleric and a politician. He is the spiritual leader of Al Wefaq, Bahrain's biggest opposition society. He was the leader and the founders of Islamic Enlightenment institution.
See also
*
Beit Al Qur'an
*
Muharram in Bahrain
*
Rashid Al Marikhi Shaikh Rashid Bin Ibrahim Al Muraikhi ( ar, الشيخ راشد بن ابراهيم المريخي) is a prominent Sufi Sunni Islamic scholar and teacher in Bahrain. He used to be the khateeb of the Shaikh Isa Bin Ali Mosque in Muharraq until 1988. ...
References
{{Asia topic, Shia Islam in
Shia Islam by country