History glossary
Shia
a major branch of Islam whose Iraqi majority gained new political power after Saddam Hussein's fall.
- Category
- Religious community
- Region
- Global
- Date range
- from early Islam
What it means
Shia Islam is a major branch of Islam. In Iraq, Shia Muslims form a majority and had been heavily repressed under Saddam Hussein's Sunni-dominated Ba'athist regime. After 2003, Shia parties and militias became central to the new political order and to sectarian conflict.
Related terms
Stories using this term
The Rise of Islam
From Muhammad's first revelations to the early caliphates, Islam grew from a Meccan message into a civilisation spanning Africa, Asia and Europe.
The World After The Cold War
From the fall of the Soviet Union to the rise of China and global terrorism, this story traces the turbulent reshaping of the international order after 1991.
The United States After 9/11
After 9/11, the United States launched the War on Terror, invaded Afghanistan and Iraq, expanded surveillance and homeland security, and entered a long era of costly war and deep political division.
