Shroug (

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

: الشروق;

Iraqi Arabic Mesopotamian Arabic (), also known as Iraqi Arabic or the Iraqi dialect (), or just as Iraqi (), is a group of varieties of Arabic spoken in the Mesopotamian basin of Iraq, as well as in Syria, southeastern Turkey, Iran, Kuwait and Iraqi diaspor ...

: الشروگ; lit. "easterners") is a term in

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

used to describe a Shia Arab social group from southern Iraq. The word Shroug had also been used as a derogatory term by Sunni Arabs against Shia Arabs of southern Iraq.

History

The term Shroug was used by the Sunni tribes of the Middle Euphrates to refer to the Shia tribes around Amara District. Shroug literally meant "easterners" and was sometimes used as a slur. Later, the term expanded to include all of southern Iraq.د. علي الوردي. دراسة في طبيعة المجتمع العراقي. ص 135-136.التأثيل: مفهومه و مبادؤه و اقسامه - مقاربة في فكر اللسانيين العراقيين؛ ربيعي، بتول عبد الكاظم حمد؛ 2022؛ pp. 186 The Sunni tribes of the Middle Euphrates boasted that they retained their

Bedouin The Bedouin, Beduin, or Bedu ( ; , singular ) are pastorally nomadic Arab tribes who have historically inhabited the desert regions in the Arabian Peninsula, North Africa, the Levant, and Mesopotamia (Iraq). The Bedouin originated in the Sy ...

customs while the Shroug were open to influence from neighboring regions. The extreme poverty and social stigmatism of the Shroug later changed after Abdul-Karim Qasim came to power. Their number in 1958 was estimated at 100,000 people. The Qasim government built

Sadr City Sadr City (), formerly known as Al-Thawra () and Saddam City (), is a suburb district of the city of Baghdad, Iraq. It was built in 1959 by Prime Minister of Iraq, Prime Minister Abd al-Karim Qasim, Abdul Karim Qassim and named Al-Rafidain Distric ...

as a complex where Shroug were settled. The Shroug later increased their social prominence as they began migrating from the countryside to the cities. Some Shroug also resided in the Marshes alongside the

Marsh Arabs The Marsh Arabs (Arabic: عرب الأهوار ʻArab al-Ahwār "Arabs of the Marshlands"), also referred to as Ahwaris, the Maʻdān (Arabic: معدان "dweller in the plains") or Shroog ( "those from the east")—the latter two often conside ...

.المفصل في تاريخ العرب قبل الإسلام / د. جواد علي / الجزء الأول – الفصول 1-40 / لفظة العرب Although the term Shroug initially referred to Amara District, it later was used to refer to Shia Arabs from southern and southeastern Iraq.صالح الشالجي، باب شرق بغداد، مجلة آفاق عربية، ديسمبر 1979 Others claimed that the term Shroug had Mesopotamian origins, either from "Sharubak", meaning "the natives" in Sumerian, or from "Sherk", which occurred in the name of Sharrukin, which meant "just" or "righteous" in Akkadian.

References

Shia Islam in Iraq {{improve categories, date=January 2025