TIANMUN 2018 Arab League 1 FORUM: ISSUE: STUDENT OFFICER: POSITION: Arab League Measures to Reduce Tension and Conflict between Sunni and Shia Isabel Lourie President of Arab League Introduction The Sunni-Shia tension is one that has plagued the Muslim world for almost as long as the Muslim world has existed. Beginning with dispute over who was the rightful successor as caliph to Muhammad, the Sunni- Shia split is nothing new. However, in recent years the sectarianism of Islam Tribal fighters shouting slogans in Iraq has taken a more political turn. As regional powers seek to assert influence over the religiouslyinfluenced region, the conflict of interest between Sunni and Shia powers has become more apparent. Sectarian conflict rears its ugly head in the form of proxy war between Sunni Saudi Arabia and Shia Iran. In addition to this, Islamic extremists contribute to civilian strife and any warfare with sectarian overtones. Sunni extremists such as jihadist ISIS and al-qaeda hold firm to beliefs that Shia Muslims fail to follow Sharia law, and Shia extremist groups claim likewise against Sunni regimes. This results in violent conflict. When governments are unable to represent either group to its satisfaction, protest and persecution are quick to follow. The tension and conflict between Sunni and Shia Muslims is an umbrella issue over many conflicts in the Arab world, and thus is important and relevant for the Arab League to address.
TIANMUN 2018 Arab League 2 Background The tension between the Sunni and Shi ite sects of Islam began shortly after the prophet Muhammad s death in the seventh century. The issue of his successor was answered by the majority of Muslims by choosing a caliph, Abu Bakr. However, a minority favored Muhammad s son-in-law Ali, believing that leadership should stay within the prophet s family. They became known as Shiat Ali, followers of Ali. Ali eventually became recognized as the fourth caliph by the Sunnis, but by then the Shia people had already chosen their own system of leadership appointment, the imams. Military and cultural conflicts have followed ever since. The name 1,400-year war has been given to the Sunni-Shia split. However, this interpretation of the issue is not fully correct. Though it is true that the schism between the sects of Islam began 1,400 years ago, that sectarianism has not been continually defined by a state of conflict. Recent tensions between the Sunnis and Shias are primarily rooted in politics rather than ancient religious hatred. Though theological differences do exist between the two sects of Islam, for the most part, sectarianism did not get in the way of collective Arab identity and peace. The real violent conflict and political tension in the Islamic world have emerged in more recent times, particularly through Saudi-Iranian power struggles and the subsequent conflicts. Following the Iranian revolution of 1979, Iran formed a theocracy that threatened Saudi Arabia s theocratic influence in the Arab nations. From then, Saudi- Billboard portraying the Iranian revolution Iranian power rivalry has existed and been manifested through proxy wars, such as involvement by both sides in the Syrian, Yemeni, and Iraqi civil wars. The rivalry escalated intensely in 2003 when the US toppled Saddam Hussein, the leader of Iraq at the time, who had posed a threat to both Saudi Arabia and Iran. With the lack of leadership, both countries attempted to gain influence over Iraq. This is where sectarianism could shine like it never had before. Iran exploited the sectarianism of the Arab culture, which at the time did not contribute to conflict in the groups at all. Iran backed extreme Shia groups against Sunni Saudi Arabia, masking greatly political issues as religious tension. Thus, what at its roots is a power struggle between two powers who claim
TIANMUN 2018 Arab League 3 authority over the Muslim world Saudi Arabia and Iran has superficially shown itself as a fight over the Sunni-Shia line, realizing a tension that was never as grave as it is now. Problems Raised Extremist Terrorism Fundamentalist extremists on either side of the conflict have contributed greatly to the urgency of the conflicts. Violence has been repeatedly committed to innocent individuals in Arab countries where the terrorism persists. These fundamentalist factions stem mostly from ideas of jihad, and a need to purify Islam and its leadership. For example, Sunni groups such as al-qaeda, the Islamic State Group, and the Muslim Brotherhood have explicitly Islamist ideals and tend to oppress Shia minorities and to denounce them as heretics, justifying them as military ISIS fighters in Syria targets. In a similar vein, Shiamajority nations such as Iraq house oppression towards Sunni groups. One prominent Shia terrorist group is Hezbollah, which played prominent roles during the Lebanese and Syrian Civil Wars. Diplomatic Ties Broken In 2016, diplomatic ties between Saudi Arabia and Iran were cut off for the first time in twenty-six years, following Saudi execution of Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr al-nimr, who had been making anti-government protests. This execution and subsequent diplomatic freeze served to escalate sectarian tensions even further in the Middle East. The breaking of diplomatic ties with Iran led to polarization in the Arab world. A year later, Saudi Arabia cut diplomatic ties with Qatar when the country made economic cooperation with Iran, accusing Qatar of backing Islamist terrorist groups. Countries are forced to choose sides politically and economically. Proxy Wars
TIANMUN 2018 Arab League 4 Nicknamed the New Cold War, the Sunni and Shia powers continue to struggle for influence over the Muslim world. They provide support to opposing sides on conflicts in the Middle East, intervening in conflicts including the Syrian, Yemeni, and Iraqi civil wars, as well as the Bahraini uprising. These proxy wars serve to establish influence over the Middle East and other Arab countries. The power struggle involves economic power, as Saudi Arabia asserts its leading position in OPEC, as well as geopolitical power over the Arab world, and sectarianism has become the face of this struggle. Following an al-qaeda attack on the United States, the USA became involved in the war in Iraq. World powers such as Russia and China have involved themselves in Sunni-Shia (or rather Saudi-Iran) proxy conflicts through economic, arms, and military support of either side. These sectarian conflicts give rise to the obvious effects of increased violence and humanitarian crises. International Actions Saudi-Iran Summit As the two largest representatives of the Sunni and Shia sects respectively, steps towards peace between Saudi Arabia and Iran are important. In 2007, a summit meeting was held between Saudi King Abdullah and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The meeting itself was warm and cordial, with promises made to thaw relations between the two powers. While the countries agreed to work towards ending sectarian strife and begin to mend their relationship, there was a definitive lack of agreement on any specific plans to contribute to peace between Sunni and Shia Muslims. Many Statements, No Actions The Saudi King (right) and Iranian President (left) The rest of the world s response to sectarian conflicts reflect those of Saudi Arabia and Iran in 2007: all talk and no walk. Though statements have been made against brutal sectarianism at the United Nations, or by NGOs such as Amnesty International, it is difficult to solve so deep an issue. There have been no resolutions
TIANMUN 2018 Arab League 5 on the sectarian conflict in the Arab world as a whole. The international community has failed to make significant progress on the issue. Key Players Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia is home to a Sunni majority, with Shia Muslims constituting about fifteen percent of the national population. Though Shia do hold positions in the Saudi government, they are not part of local authority of any region. Outside of general public disapproval, Shia Muslims face discrimination in Saudi Arabia in terms of employment opportunities and restrictions on Shia religious traditions, including principal festivals for the religious group. Beyond internal issues, Saudi Arabia contributes to the sectarian crisis in the form of the aforementioned proxy wars with Iran. Saudi Arabia represents leadership of the Muslim world, but so does Iran. The mutually exclusive claims by both countries of leadership of Islam has led to the rivalry and subsequent proxy wars that Women protest the execution of Nimr al-nimr define modern Sunni-Shia sectarian conflict. Saudi Arabia s involvement in the wars has served to intensify sectarian tensions. For example, in response to the Houthi Rebellion in Yemen, Saudi Arabia intervened and launched airstrikes. Saudi Arabia has also been involved in the sectarianbased Bahraini uprising, conflict in Lebanon, and Pakistani violence. To make matters worse, the Saudi government condemned Shia sheik Nimr al-nimr to death in October 2014. He was executed January 2016 along with forty-six other alleged terrorists, including a majority of al-qaeda members; this act led to protests across the Muslim world. Sheikh Nimr al-nimr had been an antigovernment activist who represented the interests of Shia minorities in Saudi Arabia and the otherwise Sunni-dominated Muslim world. A day after the execution, Saudi Arabia broke off all diplomatic ties with Iran.
TIANMUN 2018 Arab League 6 Iran Unlike much of the Muslim world, Iran s population is overwhelmingly Shia. Iran s sectarian proxy conflict with Saudi Arabia began with the Iranian Revolution of 1979, wherein the monarchic government was overthrown and a formerly-exiled Shia sheik came to oversee a new Islamic Republic. This posed threats to Saudi Arabia s (Sunni) established hegemony over the Muslim world. This was also viewed in suspicion by neighboring countries ruled by Sunnis with notable Shia populations, such as Iraq, Bahrain, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Lebanon. As mentioned before, this gives way to the involvement in proxy wars and diplomatic tensions that define modern Sunni-Shia conflict. Such actions include Iranian involvement in the post-u.s.-occupation government of Iraq, as well as influence in aforementioned civil wars. Whereas Saudi military support or lack thereof has been relatively clear over the years, the allegations against Iran in supporting rebel groups or asserting influence in civil wars has proved more difficult to declare with certainty. As the leading Shia power, Shia extremist groups are often linked with Iran regardless of validity of such claims. Iraq/Syria/Lebanon/Pakistan Though each of these countries has a unique involvement in the sectarian crisis, they are grouped together as hosts of the proxy war. Most sources claim that Iraq holds a Shia majority, yet Shia Arab Muslims have suffered persecution in Iraq for a long time, especially after the end of British colonial rule. The extremes of Shia persecution occurred during the rule of the Ba ath party, particularly under Saddam Hussein. Iraq was governed mainly by Sunnis until the Iraq War of 2003. The war marked the beginning of dramatic increase in sectarian conflict, starting with a vicious cycle of revenge killing between the two sects. Violence includes suicide bombings and torture. Conversely, Syria has a Sunni majority in population but is governed mainly by a small Shia sect, the Alawites. This is protested against by Islamist groups such as the Sunni Muslim Brotherhood as well as other Sunni-backing groups. The subsequent Syrian Civil War developed into hostility between the Alawite government/army and Sunni rebels or other dissenting parties. Rebel groups held radical Ruinous effects of war on Syrian town of Kobane
TIANMUN 2018 Arab League 7 Islamist overtones, and extremist Shia militias such as Hezbollah have backed the Shia-dominated Syrian government. The Syrian Civil War, with its sectarian overtones, still goes on today. The Shia militia of Hezbollah originated during the Lebanese Civil War, which hosted the climax of sectarian tensions in Lebanon. Lebanon s largest contribution of international Sunni-Shia tension is Hezbollah. At the time of Pakistan s founding, Sunni-Shia relations were mostly friendly. However, in recent times, sectarian violence spurred by extremist groups such as al-qaeda became prominent in parts of Pakistan. Sectarianism grew as a Shia party and Sunni militias formed. Anti-Shia groups in Pakistan have gone so far as to assassinate 75 Shia leaders in the 1997. Thus, violent sectarianism persists in Pakistan. United States Though the United States has been involved in the Middle East for decades, the war on terror that began in 2001 has played most recently and directly into the sectarianism of the Arab world. After attacking Afghanistan to topple its Taliban regime, the U.S. expanded its crusade into Iraq in 2003. From then on, the U.S. continued to intervene in and back sides of Middle Eastern wars such as those in Libya and Syria, supposedly in the name of democracy. Now these conflicts persist, and although the U.S. still holds values of counterterrorism, decision on further involvement in sectarian issues are unclear. Thus far, the United States seems to be supporting the Sunni side of things, partly due to its alliance with Saudi Arabia. U.S. intervention in the Middle East is highly criticized by both Americans and the countries in which the interventions take place. Often, the side of conflict not backed by the U.S. is the one to claim that the North American country enables the violence that happens by provision of weaponry or financial subsidies. Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, also known as ISIS, is a jihadist extremist group that claims Islamic statehood. It is led by Sunni Arabs and controlled territory in Iraq and Syria. This militant group has been held responsible by the United Nations for the terrorism and abuse of human rights in the region. ISIS has also been reported to carry out ethnic cleansing targeted at Shia Muslims. Al-
TIANMUN 2018 Arab League 8 Qaeda was also an offshoot of the group, and has performed atrocities in the name of sectarianism in its own right. ISIS has been the most extreme and most recognizable force in sectarian violence and anti-shiite sentiments. However, the Islamic State s blatant violent odium for Shia Muslims is mirrored by Shia militias that fight against it. Government-backed Shia groups have committed acts of brutality against Sunni Muslims as well. Having both sides so aggressively present magnifies sectarian strife in the Arab world. Possible Solutions Promotion of Unity Sectarianism creates division between peoples. It divides nations and ethnic groups in particular. Because of Sunni-Shia conflict, Arab people fight amongst themselves. People who belong to the same nation clash in the name of their religious sect. In order to reduce this mindset in the non-extremist public, promotion in a nonsectarian identity is crucial. Find ways to encourage pride in Arab identity, for example. This can be expanded beyond civilian need, as well. Arab unity can The fists of Arab people raised in union translate into a direction of peace between the Arab nations of the Middle East Unity and distance for sectarian conflict also comes from the ability to communicate effectively and diplomatically. Any attempts at diplomacy and understanding between the two groups are undermined by hate speech against one sect by the other. The ability to crack down on radical speakers is a way to attack the root of the problem before things become more violent. Such reduction in extremist ideologies will weaken the argument that specific differences in practice render certain Muslims non-muslim, and will instead open a new door towards tolerance within the Muslim community. Stricter Regulation
TIANMUN 2018 Arab League 9 If possible, imposition of regulation of militant groups in affected regions would directly address the issue of violent conflict between the fundamentalists of either group. Recognition of sectarian militias by the government and prompt regulation (banning at best) may be effective in reducing sectarian conflict. Pakistan has already taken measures to identify and formally ban extremist militias, and has seen positive results. For accountability, the United Nations or another organization may monitor the countries in question to ensure that the militias are not receiving governmental support. Implementation of such laws can be addressed, as well. Appointment of security forces to execute laws passed, or organizations devoted to this cause would be helpful in efforts to decrease sectarian attacks. Consider methods in which to impose the new regulations on militant groups when writing a resolution. Glossary Sectarianism Excessive attachment to a particular sect or party, specifically the Sunni or Shia sects of Islam in this case. Jihadist Belief in Jihad, which is a struggle or fight against the enemies of Islam. Jihadists believe that violent struggle is necessary for defending the Muslim community from infidels. Proxy War An armed conflict between two states or parties which act on the instigation or on behalf of major powers that are not directly involved in the hostilities.
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