Shiite
Christian heritage found ransacked in monastery retaken from Islamic State
By Jerome Socolovsky — November 21, 2016
KHIDIR ILYAS, Iraq, (Reuters) - The history pages of Iraq's Christian community lie in charred fragments on the floor of a fourth-century monastery near Mosul which Islamic State militants ransacked during a two-year occupation that ended over the weekend.
Islamic State group claims attack that kills dozens at Shiite mosque in Kabul
By Jerome Socolovsky — November 21, 2016
KABUL, Afghanistan (Reuters) A suicide bomber killed more than 30 people and wounded dozens on Monday in an explosion at a crowded Shiite mosque in the Afghan capital, officials said. It was the third major attack on minority Shiites in the city since July.
In this part of India, Sunnis and Shiites show the world a different way to pray
By Akhtar Ali — September 17, 2016
LUCKNOW, India (RNS) The prayer took place in a Shiite shrine but was led by a Sunni imam as part of an initiative by a volunteer group called Shoulder to Shoulder.
UN experts urge Bahrain to halt ‘persecution of Shiites’
By RNS staff — August 16, 2016
(Reuters) Experts urged Bahraini authorities to halt what they said were 'arbitrary arrests' based on religion and release those detained for free speech and assembly.
The ‘bad boy’ cleric poised to be Iraq’s next kingmaker
By RNS staff — May 4, 2016
While Moqtada al-Sadr is trying to cast himself as a populist and reformer, he has a bloody history in Iraq.
Saudi Arabia says it will punish anyone linked to Hezbollah
By Reuters — March 14, 2016
DUBAI -- Hezbollah has close ties to Iran, Saudi Arabia's bitter rival for power in the region.
Attack on Saudi Shiite mosque kills four
By Reuters — January 29, 2016
DUBAI -- Security forces prevented two suicide bombers from entering the mosque, where one blew himself up, killing four. Security forces exchanged fire with the second man and arrested him.
Iraqi Shiites protest Saudi execution of cleric
By Reuters — January 4, 2016
Iraqi Shiites marched in Baghdad and southern cities. At least two Sunni Muslim mosques were attacked and two people killed.
Saudi Arabia’s execution of Shiite cleric ignites protests, threats, international outrage
By Reuters — January 2, 2016
The U.S. State Department said killing Nimr al Nimr, a critic of the strict Wahhabi school of Islam favored in the Saudi kingdom, "risks exacerbating sectarian tensions."
PHOTOS: The Shiite pilgrimage Arbaeen
By Jerome Socolovsky — December 3, 2015
(RNS) Drawing an estimated 17 million pilgrims, the Shiite ritual known as Arbaeen dwarfs even the hajj. Arbaeen marks the end of the 40-day mourning period after the anniversary of the seventh-century slaying of the Prophet Muhammad's grandson, which engendered the Sunni-Shiite schism.
Open sectarianism in Saudi Arabia frightens Shiites
By Reuters — October 27, 2015
QATIF, Saudi Arabia (Reuters) The fate of Saudi Arabia's 2 million or so Shiites is closely watched because of the country's intimate involvement in the region's sectarian conflict through its rivalry with Iran and the teachings of its influential clergy that Shiism is heretical.
Campaign against Islamic State loses its Shiite religious name in Sunni region
By Reuters — May 27, 2015
The campaign name, with Shi'ite references that highlighted a dependence on Shi'ite paramilitaries could have alienated Sunni Iraqis.
The ‘Splainer: Who is the new caliph on the block?
By Kimberly Winston — July 1, 2014
(RNS) The last caliph reigned from the seat of the Ottoman Empire -- that’s Turkey to you -- until he was deposed in1924. Since then many Islamic groups have called for the re-establishment of the caliphate. So how big is the new caliphate, and what does it all mean?
England’s Muslim leaders to media: Don’t inflame Sunni-Shiite tensions
By Trevor Grundy — June 20, 2014
LONDON (RNS) Leaders of the Shiite community in the United Kingdom, about 5 percent of the total Muslim community, are doing all they can to tone down tension with Sunnis.
Sunni-Shiite violence soars in Pakistan
By Naveed Ahmad — February 3, 2014
(RNS) Tit-for-tat target killings between Sunnis and Shiites have escalated this past year, with Taliban forces repeatedly targeting Shiite processions and places of worship and Iran-backed Shiite groups retaliating.
