Study Reveals In-Depth Insight into Sunni-Shi'ite Relations

As Muslims from all walks of life commemorated the day of Ashura, results from a poll conducted by the Pew Research Center about Sunni-Shi’ite relations have been released.

The study, which was carried out between November 2011 and May 2012, surveyed 5,000 Muslims in Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Iran, Iraq and Lebanon, with an equal representation of both Sunnis and Shi’ites. Although Shi’ite only account for 10%-13% of the Muslim world, Iran, Iraq and Azerbaijan have a Shi’ite majority.

FEARS OF EXTREMISM

Both Sunnis and Shi’ites surveyed in the study expressed concerns over extremist groups, with two-thirds of all Muslims in Iraq and Afghanistan showing the greatest concern. Half of all Muslims in Lebanon also expressed the same fear, while only a quarter of Muslims in Iran said they suffered from such anxieties. Only 6% of Muslims in Azerbaijan said this was a problem in their country.

Overall, despite being a minority in the wider Muslim world, Shi’ites expressed less concern than Sunnis over extremism, especially in Iraq, Iran and Lebanon. Sunnis and Shi’ites in Afghanistan and Azerbaijan demonstrated little difference in this regard.

SECTARIAN TENSIONS

The study failed to identify a correlation between the freedom of worship and sectarian tensions. 90% of all Muslims in Lebanon said they had the freedom of worship, but two-thirds still said that sectarian tensions was a major or moderate problem in their country. On the other hand, only half of Muslims in Iraq felt they had the freedom of worship but fears over sectarianism was again slightly less than that in Lebanon.

Once again, Shi’ites in Iraq, Iran and Lebanon, were 27-33% less likely than Sunnis to worry about sectarianism, while there was very little difference between the two in Afghanistan. In Azerbaijan, sectarianism is generally not seen as a problem.

RELIGIOUS COMMITMENT

Three-quarters of both Shi’ites and Sunnis in Afghanistan, Iraq and Iran said religion was very important to them. Little difference was noted between the Sunnis and Shi’ites in Azerbaijan, where just under a half of all Muslims said they were religious. In Lebanon, however, two-thirds of Sunnis responded positively to this question, compared to only half of Shi’ites. Moreover, Shi’ites in Afghanistan are 15% less likely to pray on a daily basis than Sunnis.

Source: World Bulletin