Shia Expansion in Middle East

Shia Expansion in Middle East

Introduction

Iranian revolution has been the major issue of development of Shiite politics in the Middle Eastern politics. The dominant part of Hezbollah in activating its support within Lebanon for the rallies of pro-Syrian, the success of eth candidates of Shiite in the current elections of Iraq as well as the Shiite's success in the Eastern province of Saudi Arabia in the municipal elections within the country has made the impact that there exists a new Shiite political identity's expression in the region of Middle East. In the region, due to the push of United States for democratization, the situations might be there in order to change the historically inferior and poorer status of socio-economy of Shiites with the help of political actions (Crisis Group Middle East Report, 2005).

The recent success of Shiite's political parties in elections in the regions of Iraq and Middle East signifies a surge in the region's Shiite political activism (Crisis Group Middle East Report, 2005). Democratization proposes a way of conquering the political disenfranchisement of the Shiites with the help of their strengths of their demographics. The elections of Iraq offered the capability of achieving and raising the strong political voices to almost 60 percent of the Shiite's population (Crisis Group Middle East Report, 2005).

According to the rough estimation, almost 10 to 15 % of the total population of Saudi Arabia is of Shiites. These Shiites work and live in Eastern province and in the Eastern province of Saudi Arabia these Shiites are demographically dominated (Crisis Group Middle East Report, 2005). The Eastern province possesses largest oil fields and also possesses most expansive refining and processing facilities. Some of the Shiite's population lives in Dammam which is the largest city and capital of Eastern province whereas majority of the population live in villages and towns of the 2 large oases, al-Hasa and Qatif. Medina and Mecca also populated with few number of Shiites (Crisis Group Middle East Report, 2005). Shiism originated in the first century of Islam in Arabian Peninsula when dwellers refused the Caliphate's passing from Muhammad to Abu Bakr rather than Ali whereas today, Iran and Iraq are the Shiism heartland. Today, eastern province of Saudi Arabia is also the dominant centre for the spiritualism of Shiite.

In the year 1932, the kingdom followed various channels concurrently in order to marginalize and pacify the Shiites minority (Crisis Group Middle East Report, 2005). The encouragement and support of the new leaders, large number of aspiring merchants and Sunni settlers form Qasim and Najd swamped the communities that were residing in Eastern province by assisting in building new centers and cities of commerce that hardly provided benefits to Shiites community. This invasion damaged old agricultural and trading networks that conventionally had sustained local society and economy. Visiting merchants and Sunni evaded local businessmen of Shiite community. Shiites community discovered and acquired work at the Arabian American Oil Company yet seldom moved into the positions of management (Crisis Group Middle East ...