'Ajam of Kuwait

Ajam
العيم / فرس الكويت
Behbehani family (Persian: بهبهاني) were among the first merchant families to settle in Kuwait.[1][2]
Regions with significant populations
Kuwait[3]
Languages
Kuwaiti Persian, Kuwaiti Arabic
Religion
Predominantly Shia Islam;[4]
Minority Sunni Islam
Related ethnic groups
Iranian diaspora (Iranians of UAE • Ajam of Bahrain • Ajam of Qatar • Ajam of Iraq • 'Ajam of Kuwait • Iranians of Canada • Iranians of America • Iranians of UK • Iranians of Germany • Iranians of Israel • Iranians in Turkey)

Iranian Peoples (Lurs, Achomis, Baluchs, Kurds, Iranian Azeris), Turkic peoples (Qashqai, Azerbaijanis), Huwala

The 'Ajam of Kuwait (Arabic: عيم الكويت),[5][6] also known as Persian Kuwaitis, or Iranians of Kuwait (Persian: ایرانیان کویت) are Kuwaiti citizens of Iranian descent.[7][8][9][10] The majority of Shia Kuwaiti citizens are of Iranian descent,[11][12][13][14][15][16][17][1][18] although there are Ajam Kuwaitis who are Sunni.[10][2]

In the pre-oil era, the term "Ajam" (عجم) pertained to both Sunni and Shia families of Iranian descent in Kuwait.[10][19] In the 20th century, the term "Ajam" became synonymous with Shia families; which can be partly attributed to the politicization of sectarian identities following the 1979 Iranian Revolution.

  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference :32 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference :56 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "Under the Sails: Maritime Conversations on Trade and Seafaring - Perspectives from Iran and Kuwait". UNESCO. 2021. Archived from the original on 27 August 2022.
  4. ^ Moojan Momen (2015). Shi'i Islam: A Beginner's Guide. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 9781780747880.
  5. ^ Article in AL-AAN online newspaper Archived 15 April 2015 at the Wayback Machine (in Arabic) November 2010
  6. ^ Article by Waleed aj-Jasim in Al-Watan daily newspaper Archived 15 April 2015 at the Wayback Machine (in Arabic). 25 May 2013
  7. ^ "Symposia Iranica - Institute of Iranian Studies" (PDF). University of St Andrews. pp. 20–21.
  8. ^ Taqi, Hanan (2010). Two ethnicities, three generations: Phonological variation and change in Kuwait (PDF) (PhD). Newcastle University.
  9. ^ "Policing Iranian Sanctions: Trade, Identity, and Smuggling Networks in the Arabian Gulf" (PDF). Naval Postgraduate School. pp. 25–27.
  10. ^ a b c Mohammad al-Habib (2016). The Formation of the Shi ͑a Communities in Kuwait: Migration, Settlement and Contribution between 1880 and 1938 (PDF) (Thesis). Royal Holloway, University of London. pp. 32–37.
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  15. ^ Cite error: The named reference :2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  16. ^ Cite error: The named reference :3 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  17. ^ Rivka Azoulay (2020). Kuwait and Al-Sabah: Tribal Politics and Power in an Oil State. Bloomsbury. p. 115. ISBN 9781838605063.
  18. ^ Cite error: The named reference :389 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  19. ^ Cite error: The named reference :6 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).