Are Shias rising in the western part of the Arab world? The case of Morocco
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 4813282 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Mahjoob Zweiri (0000-0002-5866-2096, University of Jordan), Christoph König (0009-0009-5945-1029, Freie Universität Berlin) |
| Year | 2008 |
| Volume | 13 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 513-529 |
| Publication date | 2008-12-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The Journal of North African Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1362-9387 • E-ISSN: 1743-9345 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/13629380802343632 |
| OpenAlex | W1970993560 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 5 |
This article raises the question of whether Shias in the western part of the Arab world have also established political movements. For this, Morocco provides an interesting case as the country has inherited Shiite customs in the religious and cultural domain from the Idrisid dynasty and the monarchy still derives its legitimacy from a succession principle introduced by the Idrisids. However, the international community and probably most Moroccans seem to be unaware of this legacy as well as the existence of a marginalised Shiite community in dissimulation (Taqiyya). A theoretical approach, which is based on the current mainstream of international relations literature, is used to analyse the history of Shias in Morocco, forms of political, economic, and cultural discrimination as well as current Shiite elite politics in order to explain why no genuine political movement has emerged, so far, and to determine the likelihood of the formation of a Shiite political movement and resulting internal conflict. The article should thus be considered a theory-guided first step to open the doors for further enquiries into the subject. Keywords: MoroccoShiaShiite risingpolitical movementssectarian tensiondiscriminationMoroccan historyinternational relations Notes We will use 'Shia' as a noun describing either the Shia community in Morocco or individual Shias, whereas 'Shiite' will be used as an adjective, for example, when we talk about Shiite branches, because we consider this to be the usage in English which is closest to Arabic. Sambanis finds this statistical correlation because he disaggregates between identity wars and revolutions for economic resources. It must also be added that Sambanis defines 'ethnic war as war among communities (ethnicities) that are in conflict over the power relationship that exists between those communities and the state' (Sambanis Citation2001, p. 261). The religious dominance assumption only holds, if the largest majority constitutes a maximum of 90% of the population as the minority's size is positively related to the expected material gains from oppression. The Katama Berbers had taken over Ismailism and hence supported the establishment of a Fatimid Caliphate in the Maghrib. See Bensalmia Citation(2004); Abd al-Salam argues that the Shias 'have lived in such deep dissimulation that no number exists for them'. The two names were Essam Ehmaidan Al Hasani (http://www.albainah.net/index.aspx?function=Item&id=3456&lang=) and Edrees Al Housaini (http://www.albainah.net/index.aspx?function=item&id=3415&lang=). Those who converted from Sunni to Shia Islam were called Mstbsroon, which means people who found the right path (see http://www.aqaed.com/mostabser
Ancient history · Geography · Political science · History · Islamic Finance and Banking Studies · Islamic Studies and History · Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and Political Violence
| Unique citing works | 2 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,4 |
| Citation span | 2021 - 2024 (4) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 2 |