The New Sectarianism

The Arab Uprisings and the Rebirth of the Shi'a-Sunni Divide

Geneive Abdo

Demonstrates how Sunni-Shi'a tension has overtaken the broader conflict between Muslims and the West
Examines how religion is instrumentalized for political purposes, and how it is perceived and practiced by Muslims in its own right
Argues that sectarianism poses a threat to regional states and stakeholders in the wider world, including the United States and its allies

The New Sectarianism

The Arab Uprisings and the Rebirth of the Shi'a-Sunni Divide

Geneive Abdo

Description

Nearly six years after the Arab uprisings began it is clear that any dream of a pan-Islamic awakening is now more elusive than ever. The wave of unrest has deepened ethnic and religious tensions between Sunni and Shi'a-largely contained in previous years-pushing them once again to the fore. Religious difference and how Muslims define themselves have emerged as salient characteristics within Arab society, displacing the broader conflict between Muslims and the West as the primary challenge facing Islamic societies of the Middle East. The conflict is also likely to replace the Palestinian-Israeli conflict as the key issue mobilizing Arab political life.

The New Sectarianism considers the causes for growing Sunni-Shi'a animosity in key countries such as Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Iran, and Saudi Arabia. The book demonstrates how sectarian contestation, now recognized as one of the long-term effects of the Arab uprisings, presents the international community with new dilemmas and challenges. This new, renewed sectarianism is particularly corrosive in the face of the generally weak states and hapless state actors, which today characterize much of the region. It also illustrates how Shi'a and Sunni perceive one another after the Arab uprisings, and how these perceptions have affected Arab life. In doing so, the book argues that religion in Arab society matters, not only in how it is instrumentalized by extremists, moderate Islamists, and dictators alike for political purposes, but how it perpetually evolves and is perceived and practiced among the vast majority of Muslims in its own right.

The New Sectarianism

The Arab Uprisings and the Rebirth of the Shi'a-Sunni Divide

Geneive Abdo

Author Information

Geneive Abdo, Fellow, Middle East Program, The Stimson Center, Washington, DC

Geneive Abdo is a nonresident fellow in the Center for Middle East Policy at Brookings and a fellow in the Middle East program at the Stimson Center in Washington, DC. Her research focuses on modern Iran and political Islam.

The New Sectarianism

The Arab Uprisings and the Rebirth of the Shi'a-Sunni Divide

Geneive Abdo

Reviews and Awards

CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title for 2017

"Abdo offers a bold and provocative reassessment of the power and resilience of sectarian identities in a new Middle East. It has become easy to explain Sunni-Shia divides as being primarily about geopolitics. Abdo does us a great service in arguing that ideas and doctrine do, in fact, matter. It is time to bring religion back into our understanding of sectarianism, and Abdo does exactly that." - Shadi Hamid, Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution and author of Islamic Exceptionalism: How the Struggle Over Islam is Reshaping the World

"This compelling and urgent book dissects and re-appraises the importance of religion to Middle Eastern cultures today. Abdo does not promote a stereotypical or historically deterministic view of these cultures, but urges readers to appreciate and respect the very real challenges confronting native reformers seeking to chart an autonomous, authentic path to the reconstruction of religious identity." - Khaled Abou El Fadl, Omar and Azmeralda Alfi Professor of Law, University of California, Los Angeles

"Sectarianism is a complex historical phenomenon that continues to command international attention. Geneive Abdo investigates political rhetoric, collective memory, and social media activism among Sunni and Shiâa from Iraq and Lebanon to Bahrain and elsewhere in the Gulf. Abdo makes the compelling case that policymakers ignore the specifically religious aspects of Sunni-Shiâa relations at great peril." - Max Weiss, Departments of History and Near Eastern Studies, Princeton University

"By exploring the social, political, and religious aspects of the new sectarianism in the Middle East and beyond, Abdo convincingly demonstrates that it is reshaping regional alliances and threatening global geopolitics. This volume is a landmark in the study of religion and politics in the Middle East." - Mark Juergensmeyer, author of Global Rebellions: Religious Challenges to the Secular State

The New Sectarianism

The Arab Uprisings and the Rebirth of the Shi'a-Sunni Divide

Geneive Abdo

From Our Blog

Democratization of religion in the Middle East

If you were to ask many Americans who keep close track of world affairs the reasons for the wars in Syria and Iraq, they would probably say that Arabs do not like their leaders or their governments. While that might be true 'and certainly more true after the Arab uprisings'there is another reason that is often overlooked.

Posted on December 7, 2016

Read the blog post