Revivalism, Shi'a style.

• Author: Voll, John O.
• Position: The Shia Revival: How Conflicts Within Islam Will Shape the Future - Book review

Vali Nasr, The Shia Revival: How Conflicts Within Islam Will Shape the Future (New York: W. W. Norton, 2006), 288 pp., $25.95.

"CAN YOU tell a Sunni from a Shi'a?" Many people cannot describe the differences between these two major Muslim traditions. However, battles between Sunnis and Shi'a dominate news from Iraq, and Sunni-Shi'a relations are critical to the future of that country. In Lebanon, a major Shi'a organization, Hizballah, plays a significant role in politics and, as the Israeli-Hizballah battles during the summer of 2006 show, this Shi'a group has an impact on regional and global politics. In addition, Sunni and Shi'a characteristics are important to the self-identification of competing major states like Saudi Arabia and Iran.

As a result, it is startling when people in important planning positions dealing with U.S. policy toward the Muslim world and with counter-terrorism admit that they do not know the differences between Sunni and Shi'a Muslims. (1) Shi'a are an increasingly visible and important force in the contemporary Middle East. Ignorance about Shi'i Islam and about Sunni-Shi'a relations can be dangerous for the interests of anyone in business, government and humanitarian work in the Middle East (and globally).

Vali Nasr argues that Sunni-Shi'a relations are fast becoming a major dimension of Middle Eastern regional politics--a major "Shia revival" is transforming Middle Eastern politics. A critical element in this revival is the overthrow of Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq by the United States in 2003. This not only brought an end to Sunni dominance in Iraq, but it also opened the way for greater Shi'a activism and influence throughout the region. Nasr argues that the sectarian battle in Iraq "will metamorphose into a broader struggle for power between the Sunni Arab establishment of old and the emerging Shia power." This book provides an analysis and guidebook for understanding the nature and importance of these relations in the contemporary world

In this picture, most of modern Arab history involves the development of nationalist politics and states dominated by Sunni elites. As nationalist movements emerged, Shi'a were often active participants. In states and societies where they were minorities, secular nationalism provided a possible path for integration into the "national" or majority identity. However, the modern independent states, as Nasr observes, "solidified Sunni rule and Shia marginality" as nationalist platforms and programs became the base for continuing Sunni control. Nasr notes that similar developments took place outside of the Arab world, with the...