The Sunni-Shia divide and the modern Middle East

• Main Author: Aisha Sahar Waheed Ali Al-kharusi
• Other Authors: Ronald George Matthews
• Format: Theses and Dissertations
• Language: English
• Published: 2015
• Subjects: DRNTU::Social sciences::Political science
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/64996
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

The events precipitated by the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran and exacerbated by the consequences of the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003 have metamorphosed into a broader struggle for power between the old Sunni Arab establishment and the emerging Shia power, and between Saudi Arabia and Iran as the natural heavyweights, with proxy wars being waged across the Middle East by both sides. The study will reveal that the roots of the differences between these groups are purely political in nature dating back to the death of the Prophet Muhammad in the 7th Century. The divide itself has gone through an evolution, triggered by these key events, that has brought it to the forefront of the political scene in recent decades, having the potential to overshadow all other considerations as they relate to the region and its relations with the rest of the world . The Sultanate of Oman emerges as a unique case unparalleled in the region seemingly immune to these problems. The Oman model reveals an absence of sectarian calculations and motivations in foreign policy formation coupled with a philosophy and practice that accords priority to religious tolerance domestically. This example of immunity at once confirms the existence of a divide between the two communities and supplies inspiration for policy recommendations to address it.