SUNNI ISLAM IN IRAQ
Go
Islamic Army in IraqThe Islamic Army in Iraq (Arabic: الجيش الإسلامي في العراق, romanized: al-Jaysh al-Islāmi fī'l-`irāq, abbr. IAI) was an underground Islamist militant organization formed in Iraq following the 2003 invasion of Iraq by U.S.-led Coalition forces, and the subsequent collapse of the Ba'athist regime headed by Saddam Hussein. IAI was regarded as one of the largest, sophisticated and most influential Sunni insurgent groups in Iraq that led an asymmetrical military insurgency against Coalition forces. The group became known for its grisly videos of kidnappings and attacks on U.S. and Iraqi troops. Although it carries an Islamic title, the group combines Sunni Islamism with Iraqi nationalism, and has been labelled as "resistance" by Iraq's Sunni Vice president Tariq al-Hashimi (who was sentenced to death in 2012) despite al-Hashimi's close relations with the U.S. government. Following the withdrawal of American forces from Iraq in late 2011, the IAI largely demobilized and turned towards political activism, setting up the Sunni Popular Movement. The group’s turn away from armed opposition towards activism was criticised by other militant groups, including groups that the IAI had previously allied with such as the Mujahideen Army. In the beginning of 2014, however, the group returned to armed militancy and was active anti-government violence in Anbar and Northern Iraq during the first phases of the War in Iraq (2013-17). The group was primarily active in the Diyala and Saladin Governorates. Most of its fighters have renounced fighting against the Iraqi state, although some have joined Islamic State. Islamic Army in Iraq has not claimed any attacks since late 2014. On the 9th of April, 2024, the group has published a video titled "Come to Jihad" (حي على الجهاد). This hour long video shows the history of activities the group was involved in and testifies that the group will come back. Furthermore, the group reannounces their opposition towards the Iranian government and ISIS. They also call for the Sunni Iraqis to join the group.
Islam in IraqIslam in Iraq has a rich complicated history that has come to be over almost 1,400 years, since the Prophet Muhammad lived and died in 632 CE. As one of the first places in the world to accept Islam, Iraq is mostly Muslim nation, with about 98% of the people identifying as Muslim. There are the two main branches of Islam in Iraq: Shia Islam, which is practiced by about 61% of Muslims and Sunni Islam, which is practiced by about 35%. Baghdad, which was once the capital of the Abbasid Caliphate and a center of Islamic scholarship, is one of the most important religious cities in Iraq. It is very important to both Shia and Sunni communities. The Kadhimiya neighborhood in Baghdad is famous for having the shrines of two important Shia Imams. Karbala, on the other hand, is respected for being the site of the Battle of Karbala in 680 AD, which had a significant impact on Shia beliefs and practices. The tomb of Ali ibn Abi Talib, the first Shia Imam and the fourth caliph, is in Najaf, which is another important city. This makes it a major pilgrimage spot. The famous Sunni thinker Abu Hanifa taught in Kufa and Ibn Hanbal taught in Baghdad. This is historical evidence of how important Iraq is as a hub for Islamic thought and government. Another important place of worship is the al-Askari Mosque in Samarra, which is home to the tombs of the tenth and eleventh Shia Imams. Throughout history, Iraq has also been the site of many fitnas, or religious splits, that have changed the way sects interact with each other. This makes it an important place to study Islamic history and the relationships between different sects.
Religion in IraqReligion in Iraq dates back to Ancient Mesopotamia, particularly Sumer, Akkad, Assyria and Babylonia between circa 3500 BC and 400 AD, after which they largely gave way to Judaism, followed by Syriac Christianity and later to Islam. Iraq consists of a multi-ethnic, multi-religious and multi-sectarian population, all living together in one geographical area. The Iraqi civilization was built by peoples and nations, including the Sumerians, Akkadians, Assyrians, Persians, Arabs, and Babylonians. Religious and cultural circumstances have helped Arabs to become the majority of Iraq’s population today, followed by Kurds, Turkmen, and other nationalities. A national census has not been held since 1987. In the 2020s, the country is overwhelmingly Muslim, who are split into two distinct sects, Shia and Sunni. Approximately 95% to 98% of the population are Muslims, with Shia Muslims constituting around 55%, and Sunnis around 40%. The remainder follow Christianity, Yazidism, Mandaeism and Yarsanism.
Islamic StateThe Islamic State (IS), also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and Daesh, is a transnational Salafi jihadist organization and unrecognized quasi-state. It is designated as a terrorist organisation by the United Nations and many countries around the world, including Muslim countries. IS gained global prominence in 2014, when its militants conquered large territories in northwestern Iraq and eastern Syria, taking advantage of the ongoing civil war in Syria and the disintegrating local military forces of Iraq. By the end of 2015, its self-declared caliphate ruled an area with a population of about 12 million, where they enforced their extremist interpretation of Islamic law, managed an annual budget exceeding US$1 billion, and commanded more than 30,000 fighters. After a grinding conflict with American, Iraqi, and Kurdish forces, IS lost control of all its Middle Eastern territories by 2019, subsequently reverting to insurgency from remote hideouts while continuing its propaganda efforts. These efforts have garnered a significant following in northern and Sahelian Africa, where IS still controls a significant territory. Originating in the Jaish al-Ta'ifa al-Mansurah founded by Abu Omar al-Baghdadi in 2004, the organisation (primarily under the Islamic State of Iraq name) affiliated itself with al-Qaeda in Iraq and fought alongside them during the 2003–2006 phase of the Iraqi insurgency. The group later changed their name to Islamic State of Iraq and Levant for about a year, before declaring itself to be a worldwide caliphate, called simply the Islamic State (الدولة الإسلامية, ad-Dawlah al-Islāmiyya). As a caliphate, IS demanded the religious, political, and military obedience of Muslims worldwide, despite the rejection of its legitimacy by mainstream Muslims and its statehood by the United Nations and most governments. During its rule in Syria and Iraq, the group "became notorious for its brutality". Under its rule of these regions, IS launched genocides against Yazidis and Iraqi Turkmen; engaged in persecution of Christians, Shia Muslims, and Mandaeans; publicised videos of beheadings of soldiers, journalists, and aid workers; and destroyed several cultural sites. The group has perpetrated terrorist massacres in territories outside of its control, such as the November 2015 Paris attacks, the 2024 Kerman bombings in Iran, and the 2024 Crocus City Hall attack in Russia. Lone wolf attacks inspired by the group have also taken place. After 2015, the Iraqi Armed Forces and the Syrian Democratic Forces pushed back IS and degraded its financial and military infrastructure, assisted by advisors, weapons, training, supplies, and airstrikes by the American-led coalition, and later by Russian airstrikes, bombings, cruise missile attacks, and scorched-earth tactics across Syria, which focused mostly on razing Syrian opposition strongholds rather than IS bases. By March 2019, IS lost the last of its territories in West Asia, although its affiliates maintained a significant territorial presence in Africa as of 2025.
Shia–Sunni relationsThe succession to Muhammad in 632 led the Muslims to be split into two camps, the Sunnis, who believed that the caliphs of the Islamic community should be chosen by a council, as in Saqifa, while a second group, the Shia, who believed that Muhammad had named his successor to be Ali ibn Abi Talib, his cousin and son-in-law. Today there are differences in religious practice and jurisprudence, traditions, and customs between Shia and Sunni Muslims. Although all Muslim groups consider the Quran to be divine, Sunni and Shia have different opinions on hadith. In recent years, the relations between the Shias and the Sunnis have been increasingly marked by conflict. The aftermath of the 1979 Iranian revolution, which reconfigured Iran into a theocratic Islamic republic governed by high-ranking Shia clerics, had far-reaching consequences across the Muslim world. The Iraq War further influenced regional power dynamics, solidifying Shias as the predominant force in Iraq. Iran's ascent as a regional power in the Middle East, along with shifts in politics and demographics in Lebanon favouring Shia, has heightened Sunni concerns about their Sunni–Arab hegemony. Recent years have witnessed the Iran–Saudi Arabia proxy conflict, as well as sectarian violence from Pakistan to Yemen, which became a major element of friction throughout the Middle East and South Asia. Tensions between communities have intensified during power struggles, such as the Shia led Bahraini uprising, the Iraqi Civil War, the 2013–2017 War in Iraq against ISIS, as well as the Sunni led Syrian Civil War. The self-styled Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) launched a persecution of Shias. While the exact numbers are subject to debate, the Shia comprise around 10% of the world's Muslims, and Sunnis 90%. Sunnis are a majority in most Muslim communities around the world. Shia make up the majority of the citizen population in Iran, Iraq and Azerbaijan, as well as being a minority in Bahrain, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Yemen, Nigeria, Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, Chad, Turkey, and Kuwait.
Sunni Islam in IraqSunni Islam in Iraq (Arabic: الإسلام السني في العراق) is the second-largest sect of Islam in Iraq after Shia Islam. The majority of Iraqi Sunni Muslims are Arabs with the second largest being Kurds. Iraqi Sunni Muslims mainly inhabit the western and northern half of Iraq. Sunni Arabs primarily inhabit the Sunni Triangle, Upper Mesopotamia and the desert areas, such as Al-Anbar Governorate in the Arabian Desert and Syrian Desert. The Sunni Kurds inhabit the mountainous Iraqi Kurdistan region. In 2003, the United States-based Institute of Peace estimated that around 95% of the total population of Iraq were Muslim, of which Sunnis made up around 40%. A CIA World Factbook report from 2015 estimates that 29–34% of the population of Iraq is Sunni Muslim. According to a 2011 survey by Pew Research, 42% of Iraqi Muslims are Sunni. There were about 9 million Sunni Arabs, 4.5 million Sunni Kurds and 3 million Sunni Turkmens in Iraq, according to a report published in 2015.
Sunni region (Iraq)The Sunni region (Arabic: الإقليم السني), also referred to as the Anbar region (Arabic: إقليم الأنبار), is a proposed federal area of the Republic of Iraq that would include Iraq's Arab Sunni-majority provinces, such as Anbar, Diyala, Saladin, Nineveh, Kirkuk and the outskirts of Baghdad. It was proposed by Iraqi Sunni Arabs who were inspired by the autonomy of the Kurdistan Region, which was granted status as a legal entity after the 2005 constitution was implemented. The constitution grants each governorate, or group of governorates, the right to form a special region through a referendum. Sunni leader Thaer Al-Bayati states that the proposal for autonomy has widespread backing among Sunni Iraqis.
Quick Access
Tag Explorer
Discover Fresh Ideas in the Universe of aéPiot
MultiSearch | Search | Tag Explorer
SHEET MUSIC | DIGITAL DOWNLOADS