Bahrain's Sunni Majority: A Complex Religious Landscape

Bahrain is a small but strategic island nation in the Persian Gulf with a population of around 1.5 million, of which approximately 700,000 are citizens. The country's official religion is Islam, and the majority of the population is Muslim, with a mix of Sunni and Shia Muslims. While the exact ratio of Shia to Sunni citizens is unknown, most sources estimate that there is a Shia majority and Sunni minority. The ruling family and many wealthy and influential Bahrainis are Sunni, which has been a source of political and social tension.

Shia-Sunni political and social tensions in Bahrain

Bahrain is a small but strategic island nation in the Persian Gulf, just off the coast of Saudi Arabia. It has a population of around 1.5 million, with approximately 712,000 citizens. Islam is the state religion, with the 2020 national census indicating that 90.2% of the population is Muslim.

The country has witnessed significant sectarian tension between its Sunni ruling elite and the Shia majority population. While the true nature and extent of this tension have long been shrouded in mystery, recent polls and surveys have shed some light on this issue.

Political Tensions

Bahrain's Sunni ruling family, the Al Khalifa, has been accused of discriminating against the Shia majority in various sectors, including education, employment, and cultural rights. The Shia community has faced harassment, intimidation, and arrests of its religious and cultural figures. The government has also been criticized for restricting the rights of the Shia community to worship and profess their religious beliefs, with reports of Shia prisoners being denied adequate medical treatment and facing abuse from prison guards.

The government has made efforts to alter the demographic balance of the country by recruiting foreign-born Sunnis to join the security forces and granting them expedited naturalization. Additionally, there have been reports of Shia citizens being excluded from the security forces and receiving preferential treatment in various government sectors, such as education and the military.

The political landscape in Bahrain is dominated by Sunni Islamist groups, including the Muslim Brotherhood and Salafi groups, which have aligned themselves with the government. These groups have struggled to formulate agendas independent of regime interests and have lost political support as a result. The Shia opposition movement, on the other hand, has been more successful in mobilizing support.

During the Arab Spring-inspired protests in 2011, the Bahraini government portrayed the uprisings as Shia-led, further discouraging cross-sectarian political cooperation. The government created an umbrella organization for Sunni Islamists, the National Unity Gathering (NUG), which positioned itself as an alternative to the Shia protesters. However, the NUG failed to gain widespread support and eventually lost momentum.

In recent elections, Sunni Islamist groups have suffered electoral defeats, with their agendas being closely associated with the ruling family. The Muslim Brotherhood's political wing, al-Minbar, failed to secure any seats in the 2018 elections, and al-Asala, the country's most prominent Salafi organization, won only a handful of seats.

Social Tensions

Despite the political and social tensions between Sunnis and Shias in Bahrain, there are also areas of consensus and coexistence between the two groups. Polling suggests that both sects hold generally positive views about coexistence and share similar opinions on several key foreign policy issues, such as the importance of good ties with Washington and promoting Palestinian-Israeli peace.

However, there are sharp divergences in their attitudes towards Iran and its regional allies. While a majority of Shia Bahrainis view Iran's regional policies favorably, almost none of the Sunnis share this sentiment. Additionally, there is a persistent higher unemployment rate among the Shia community, along with limited social mobility and a lower socioeconomic status, which adds to the tensions between the two communities.

Both anti-Shia and anti-Sunni sentiments are prevalent on social media, with derogatory terms being used to describe members of both sects. However, there is a high degree of tolerance within Bahraini society for minority religious beliefs and traditions, although conversion from Islam or atheistic and secularist views are not tolerated.

Shia Islam in Bahrain

In the 9th century, the Ismaili Shia sect known as the Qarmatians seized Bahrain, making it their stronghold. They raided Iraq and sacked Mecca, taking the Black Stone back to Bahrain, where it remained for twenty years. The Qarmatians were defeated by the Abbasids in 976, and their power waned.

Over the next four hundred years, Twelver Shia Islam became entrenched in Bahrain, encouraged by Sunni rulers. In the 13th century, the 'Bahrain School' emerged, integrating themes of philosophy and mysticism into orthodox Twelver practice.

Estimates of the percentage of Shia citizens in Bahrain vary. The last official census to include sectarian identification, conducted in 1941, reported that 55% of the Muslim population was Shia, while 45% was Sunni. Unofficial sources estimate the current sectarian identification to be approximately 55% Sunni and 45% Shia, or 62% Shia and 38% Sunni, according to a 2023 survey by the Washington Institute.

Despite the majority Shia population, Bahrain is ruled by the Sunni Al Khalifa family, who arrived in Shia Bahrain from Najd in 1783. Shia Muslims face worse economic circumstances, with high unemployment rates and limited social mobility.

Shia citizens in Bahrain have faced discrimination and human rights abuses. The government has been accused of attempting to erode the Shia citizen majority by recruiting foreign-born Sunnis to serve in the security forces and granting them citizenship. Shia prisoners have reported mistreatment and a lack of access to adequate medical care. The government has also restricted the rights of the Shia community to worship and profess their religious beliefs, including by prohibiting gatherings for certain Shia religious events.

Shia political parties, such as Al Wefaq, have faced opposition from the government. Al Wefaq was expected to become the dominant party in the 2006 general election but has since lost all representation in parliament.

Despite political tensions, polling suggests that public opinion between Bahrain's Sunni elite and Shia majority is quite close on several key foreign policy issues. Both groups generally hold positive views about coexistence and agree on the importance of good ties with Washington and promoting Palestinian-Israeli peace. However, there are sharp divergences in their attitudes towards Iran's policies and proxies in the region.

Sunni Islam in Bahrain

The ruling family of Bahrain, the Al Khalifa family, is Sunni, and this difference in religious sects has been an underlying cause of political and social tension in the country. Sunni Islamists in Bahrain have historically aligned themselves with the government, and the government has made efforts to mobilize these groups against Shia protests. During the Arab Spring-inspired protests in 2011, which were presented as Shia-led, Sunni Islamists became an important base of support for the government.

Sunni Islamist groups in Bahrain include the Muslim Brotherhood and Salafi groups such as al-Asala. These groups have struggled to formulate agendas independent of regime interests, which has led to a loss of political support among their followers. They have fallen back on loyalism and political quiescence, making them less likely to push for reforms.

The Bahraini government has been accused of attempting to alter the demographic balance of the country by recruiting Sunnis from other countries to join the security forces and granting them expedited naturalization. There have also been allegations of discrimination against Shia citizens in areas such as education, employment, and the exercise of cultural rights.

Despite the tensions, there are areas of consensus between Sunnis and Shias in Bahrain. Polling suggests that both groups hold similar, generally positive views about coexistence and agree on the importance of good ties with neighbouring countries and promoting peace in the region.

The Bahraini government's treatment of Shia citizens

Shia Muslims make up the majority of Bahrain's citizen population, estimated to be between 55% and 70% of the total. However, the country is ruled by the Sunni Al Khalifa royal family, who govern the country as a constitutional monarchy. This has led to political tensions and claims of discrimination against Shia citizens, who are said to be marginalised and underrepresented in government and security services.

In 2011, Shia activists called for protests against the Al Khalifa government, prompting a wave of crackdowns and human rights abuses, including the detention and torture of men, women, and children, as well as the destruction of Shia mosques and cemeteries. Shia religious figures have also reported harassment, intimidation, and arrests, with Shia citizens facing restrictions on their right to worship and profess their beliefs.

The Bahraini government has been accused of attempting to alter the country's demographic balance in favour of Sunnis by recruiting foreign-born Sunnis to serve in the security forces and granting them citizenship. Shia Muslims in Bahrain face routine and institutionalised discrimination, which affects their access to basic necessities such as food, shelter, and water, as well as education and employment opportunities. They are also said to suffer from higher unemployment rates and have limited prospects for upward social mobility compared to Sunnis.

The Bahraini government regulates the content of religious sermons of both Sunni and Shia leaders, and Shia citizens have expressed dissatisfaction with the focus on Sunni Islam in Islamic studies in public schools. Shia prisoners have also reported mistreatment and inadequate medical care while incarcerated.

Overall, the Bahraini government's treatment of its Shia citizens has been characterised by discrimination and suppression of free speech, with a focus on altering the country's demographic balance in favour of Sunnis.

The Bahraini government's relationship with Sunni Islamists

Islam is the state religion in Bahrain, with the country's constitution declaring it as such. The Bahraini government has been described as Sunni-dominated, ruling over a population that is majority Shia. The government has been accused of attempting to erode the Shia majority and tip the demographic balance in favour of Sunnis. This has been achieved through various means, including the recruitment of foreign-born Sunnis to serve in security forces and granting them citizenship, while simultaneously revoking the citizenship of Shia leaders and activists.

The Bahraini government has been accused of human rights abuses, with a particular focus on the marginalisation of the native Shia population. Shia Muslims in Bahrain have faced discrimination in various sectors, including education, employment, and the exercise of their cultural rights. They have also been subject to torture, forced disappearances, and destruction of their religious sites.

The Bahraini government has a complex relationship with Sunni Islamists, with some sources indicating an alignment of interests. Sunni Islamist groups in Bahrain, such as the Muslim Brotherhood and Salafi groups, have been known to align politically with the government. This is due to the sectarian dynamics in the country, which have prompted these groups to mobilise against Shia protests. The government has also been accused of attempting to mobilise Sunni Islamists against the Shia opposition.

However, the relationship between the Bahraini government and Sunni Islamists is not without tension. Sunni Islamists have struggled to formulate agendas independent of regime interests, which has resulted in a loss of political capital among their supporters. Additionally, the government has made efforts to separate religion and politics, reflecting concerns about the potency of Islamist thought. The government has also been criticised for its emphasis on the sectarian divide, which has driven Salafi jihadism within the country.

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