UNDERSTANDING THE ORIGIN
Shia Islam is the second largest sect of Islam in the world after Sunni Islam. Despite having beliefs and practices exclusive to the sect, both share a common foundation and tenets. Shiism came to be as a result of political disputes regarding who the successive religious leader would be following the death of Prophet Mohammad in 632 AD.
While some Muslims at the time granted the role of religious leadership to those closest to the prophet
(the Rashidun – The Rightly Guided Caliphs: Abu Bakr, followed by Omar, Uthman & Ali) as they believed the prophet had not appointed a successor, another group disagreed with this.
The second group believed that the Prophet had explicitly appointed his cousin Ali Bin Abi Talib as the only successor and divinely ordained Imam (religious leader). Ali was martyred in the year 661, followed by his son Hasan who was poisoned in 670, and his other son Hussein along with 72 members of the same family in the year 680 AD during the Battle of Karbala in Iraq.
This battle officially distinguished this group of Muslims as the distinct Shia Muslims, who adopted an Imamate system: meaning, religious leadership was passed down patrilineally from Ali’s line, while the Sunnis do not believe in such a system.
UNDERSTANDING THE FAITH
In Islam, besides the Quran, adherents typically follow the religious interpretation & doctrines of religious leaders & scholars. For Sunnis these are the schools of thought associated with the Imams Hanafi, Shafi’i, Maliki, and Hanbali. Interestingly enough, two of the Sunni Imams, Al Hanafi and Al Maliki were students of Imam Ja’far Al Sadeq (the 6th Imam in Shia Islam and descendant of Ali Bin Abi Talib) the teachings of whom Twelver Shias follow.
Jaafar is also regarded as a prominent scholar amongst Sunnis. 85% of Shia Muslims worldwide (including Syria’s Shia) are known as Twelver Shia, who follow the teachings of Jaafar.
HISTORY IN SYRIA
With the establishment of Shia Muslims, several Shia Dynasties gained prominence across the Muslim world and five (the Hamadanid, Uqaylid, Numayrid, Fatimid, and Midrasid Dynasties) had ruled different parts of Syria roughly between 940- 1100 AD. They were amongst the last ethnically Arab, Islamic dynasties to rule Syria. Due to this history, Shia Muslims have had a small but continuous presence in Syria since then.
DEMOGRAPHICS AND PRESENCE IN SYRIA
Prior to 2011, Shia Syrians formed the country’s 6th largest religious group (about %2% of Syria, all of whom are Syrian nationals), after the Sunnis, Christians, Alawites, Druze & Ismailis. However, today due to a lack of reliable statistics, combined with the demographic changes as a result of migration, displacement, and deaths, it is not possible to share correct numbers.
Despite this, what is definitive, is that the Shia population in the country has swelled in comparison to the Sunnis & Christians who have reduced in size. It is possible that today, the Shia form the 4th largest religious group following the Sunnis, Alawites, & Christians.
Shia Muslims in Syria are the only religious group to have grown in size recently as a result of the political climate in the country. The presence of many historically prominent and sacred Shia sites contribute to this including the Shrines of Sayyida Zainab (daughter of Ali) and Sayyida Ruqayya (Ali’s granddaughter, daughter of Husayn) in Damascus.
These shrines have been a source of significant religious tourism in the country which survived throughout the war as Shia Muslims from around the world particularly Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, as well as Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Gulf states, visited.
While the Shia community was largely Syrian, today it is quite diverse. By 2011, about 20% of over 1 million Iraqi refugees in Syria were Shia, many of whom still remain. In addition, many Lebanese, Iranian, and other Shia have settled in the country, resulting in the growth of the community.
Damascus had long boasted a few prominent Shia families. Few villages in the governorates of Homs & Latakia had Shia majorities, in addition to a couple in the governorates of Aleppo, Idlib, and Hama. Today, Sayyida Zaynab in Rural Damascus is a major Shia centre, and the governorates of Homs & Latakia have both witnessed a growing Shia community resulting in the establishment of Shia religious and learning centres.
Syria is home to a diverse and rich mosaic of cultures, and among them are the Circassians, an ethnic group from the Northern Caucasus region. Circassians have a tragic history
Armenian identity is greatly impacted by a deep wound. Today, we celebrate their presence, perseverance and legacy in Syria, and we also acknowledge that many Armenians have become refugees once
Part 8 and the final religious group of the series about Syria’s religious makeup: the Yazidis. Special thanks to Syrian Yazidi followers @wailoo_ & @samarshekho who helped with the info!<br