Some reflections on the Sunni/Shi'i question in Iraq

Abstract

If we summarize the view of Dann, Khadduri and Kelidar, the following pattern emerges: a minority of Sunnis rules a majority of Shi'is; the Shi'is are discriminated against by the Sunnis, and for this reason have never played a role in government or administration in true proportion to their numbers; no Shili, with the exceptions of Rustum Haider and Salih Jabr, ever held high ministerial office under the monarchy. Furthermore, the pattern continues to the present day; the Ba'athists are all Sunni too, and thus there has been no real change since the revolution of 1958, since the Sunnis continue to exercise a monopoly of political power. In short, the Shi'is,although actually a majority, occupy the position of an underprivileged minority, and this, it is asserted, is one of the most important basic facts about contemporary Iraq.