is variously estimated that 10–20% [51][52][53][54] of the worlds Muslims are Shia. They may number up to 200 million as of 2009. [53] The Shia majority countries are Iran, Iraq, Azerbaijan and Bahrain. [55] They also constitute 36.3% of entire local population and 38.6% of the local Muslim population of the Middle East. [56] Shia Muslims constitute 30% of the population in Lebanon, [57] over 45% of the population in Yemen, [58] 30%-40% of the citizen population in Kuwait (no figures exist for the non- citizen population), [59][60] over 20% in Turkey, [53][61] 10– 20% of the population in Pakistan, [53] and 10-19% of Afghanistan s population. [62][63] Saudi Arabia hosts a number of distinct Shia communities, including the Twelver Baharna in the Eastern Province and Nakhawila of Medina, and the Ismaili Sulaymani and Zaidiyyah of Najran . Estimations put the number of Shiite citizens at 2-4 million, accounting for roughly 15% of the local population. [64] Significant Shia communities exist in the coastal regions of West Sumatra and Aceh in Indonesia (see Tabuik ). [65] The Shia presence is negligible elsewhere in Southeast Asia, where Muslims are predominantly Shafii Sunnis. A significant Shia minority is present in Nigeria , made up of modern-era converts to a Shia movement centered around Kano and Sokoto states. [53][54][66] Several African countries like Kenya, [67] South Africa, [68] Somalia, [69] etc. hold small minority populations of various Shia denominations, primarily descendants of immigrants from South Asia during the colonial period, such as the Khoja.[70] According to Shia Muslims, one of the lingering problems in estimating Shia population is that unless Shia form a significant minority in a Muslim country, the entire population is often listed as Sunni. The reverse, however, has not held true, which may contribute to imprecise estimates of the size of each sect. For example, the 1926 rise of the House of Saud in Arabia brought official discrimination against Shia. [71] List of nations with Shia population Figures indicated in the first three columns below are based on the October 2009 demographic study by the Pew Research Center report, Mapping the Global Muslim Population .[53][54] Nations with over 100,000 Shia[53][54] Country Shia population [53][54] Percent of Muslim population that is Shia[53] [54] Percent of global Shia population [53][54] Minimum estimate/ claim Iran 66,000,000 – 70,000,000 90–95 37–40 Iraq 19,000,000 – 22,000,000 65–70 11–12 Pakistan 17,000,000 – 26,000,000 10–15 10–15 India 16,000,000 – 24,000,000 10–15 9–14 Yemen 8,000,000 – 10,000,000 35–40 5 Turkey 7,000,000 – 11,000,000 10–15 4–6 Azerbaijan 5,000,000 – 7,000,000 65–75 3–4 Afghanistan 3,000,000 – 4,000,000 10–15
Posted on: Sat, 26 Oct 2013 17:56:47 +0000
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