Shia crescent

The Shia Crescent (sometimes referred to as the "Shiite Crescent") is used as a political and geopolitical term to describe the different countries in the Middle East whose majority is Shia or who have a strong Shia minority in the population. It is often used to describe the rivalry and the potential of a conflict between the Shia majority and Sunni majority countries in the Middle East.

The "Shiite Crescent", the numbers shows the percent of Shia in the population in the Middle East

The countries where Shia Muslims form a dominant majority are Azerbaijan, Iran, Bahrain and Iraq. The shape of these countries put together resembles a crescent or half moon. Large minorities also exist in Turkey, Lebanon, Yemen, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, India, UAE, and Syria. However, Pakistan, India and Azerbaijan are excluded from the Shiite Crescent, and although Shias are a large majority in Azerbaijan, the country is a secular state and the percentage who worship Shia Islam, Islam or any religion are much lower.

Related pages

• Shiaphobia

Literature

• Ferhad Ibrahim: Iran und die arabische Welt Archived 2008-05-27 at the Wayback Machine, in: Aus Politik und Zeitgeschichte, Nr. 9, Bonn 2004, S. 39-47. (German)
• Vali Nasr: When the Shiites Rise Archived 2009-02-28 at the Wayback Machine in: Foreign Affairs July/August 2006 pp. 58– 74.
• Asher Susser: Aufgang des schiitischen Halbmonds, in: Internationale Politik, Nr. 9, 61. Jahr, (2006), pp. 68-S.74 (German)

Other websites

• Le Monde diplomatique: Die Schiiten und ihr Kampf um Gott (in German)
• Deutsche Welle: Die Hisbollah in der arabischen Misstrauensfalle (in German)
• Brockhaus: Ulrich Ladurner: Machtpoker am Persischen Golf Archived 2007-11-15 at the Wayback Machine (in German)
• Der Tagesspiegel: Der schiitische Halbmond (in German)