Sectarianism in Saudi Arabia

2011 map of Saudi Arabia detailing key cities

Sectarianism in Saudi Arabia refers to the Saudi government's "top-down push towards sectarian polarization" between the Sunni majority, and Shi'ite minority.[1] This encompasses anti-Shi'ite policies by the Saudi regime, as well as tensions between the Sunni majority and the Shi'ite minority. The Saudi government is often viewed to be oppressing the Shi'ite community, who constitute up to 15% of the Saudi population.[2] This occurs against the backdrop of the broader Iran-Saudi Arabia proxy conflict, since Iran is a Shi'ite republic.[3]

According to international politics scholar Ric Neo, "there is a long history of persecution of Shi'a Muslims and they continue to face an unprecedented extent of religious, economic and sociopolitical marginalisation".[4] Human Rights Watch observe that Shi'ites "face systematic discrimination in religion, education, justice, and employment".[5] For example, Shi'ites lack legal representation: there are only three Shi'ite judges serving in the Shi'ite courts of the Eastern Province, and their jurisdiction is confined entirely to family law.[4]

In the classroom, curricula predominantly neglects Shi'ite history, with some texts employing derogatory terms towards Shi'ites.[6] In the past, Shi'ites have been depicted as "examples of ahl al-bida' 'innovators' who deviate from Islam".[6] In 2017, Human Rights Watch reported that Saudi school textbooks often use "veiled language to stigmatize Shia religious practices as shirk, or polytheism or ghulah, “exaggeration”".[7]

In matters of employment, Shi'ites are often not considered for public sector jobs, and are likely to be paid less than their Sunni co-workers, even if more qualified.[4] Despite working in the oil-rich industries of the Eastern Province, Shi'ites mainly work in "menial and low-wage positions" and lack access to wealthier occupations.[4][8] At the workplace, Shi'ites face further discrimination and are unable to practice their religion.[4]

Tensions date back to the establishment of Wahhabism, and the coalition that the House of Saud formed with the Wahhabis in 1744. Friction increased following the 1960s; despite undergoing détente in the 1990s, tensions rose with the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq and escalated after domestic protests during the early 2010s Arab Spring.

  1. ^ Lynch, Marc (2016). The new Arab wars : uprisings and anarchy in the Middle East. New York. ISBN 978-1-61039-609-7. OCLC 914195546.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  2. ^ Teitalbaum, Joshua (2017). "The Shiites of Saudi Arabia: Riyadh's Ultimate Other". Saudi Arabia, the Gulf, and the New Regional Landscape. Begin Sadat Center for Strategic Studies – via JSTOR.
  3. ^ Hiro, Dilip (2018). Cold war in the Islamic world : Saudi Arabia, Iran and the struggle for supremacy. New York. ISBN 978-0-19-005022-1. OCLC 1083471952.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  4. ^ a b c d e Neo, Ric (1 September 2020). "Religious securitisation and institutionalised sectarianism in Saudi Arabia". Critical Studies on Security. 8 (3): 203–222. doi:10.1080/21624887.2020.1795479.
  5. ^ "Saudi Arabia: Treat Shia Equally". Human Rights Watch. 2009-09-03. Retrieved 2021-04-18.
  6. ^ a b al-Rasheed, Madawi (1998). "The Shia of Saudi Arabia: A Minority in Search of Cultural Authenticity". British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies. 25 (1): 121–138. doi:10.1080/13530199808705657. ISSN 1353-0194. JSTOR 195850.
  7. ^ ""They Are Not Our Brothers"". Human Rights Watch. 2017-09-26. Retrieved 2021-05-05.
  8. ^ Mazaheri, Nimah (2017-11-01). "Oil, Dissent, and Distribution". World Development. 99: 186–202. doi:10.1016/j.worlddev.2017.05.028. ISSN 0305-750X.