Sunni-Shia Antagonism in the Context of the State Policy of the House of Saud

Abstract

Taking into account the prolonged conflicts in the Middle East, the geopolitical rivalry between Shiite Iran and Sunni Saudi Arabia, as well as numerous war crimes with elements of genocide committed by Sunni terrorist groups during the wars in Iraq and Syria, studying the issue of relations at both the external and internal levels of influential states in the Islamic world is becoming even more relevant.The purpose of the research is to analyze the nature of confrontation and coexistence between Shiites and Sunnis within the conservative Sunni state as a reflection of the ideological and foreign policy struggle for leadership in the Middle East and the Islamic world.

The following methods were used in the course of the research: historical, analysis, synthesis, case study, and generalization.

The research analyzed the evolution of relations between the Sunni authorities of Saudi Arabia and the Shiite minority, along with constant escalation and temporary liberalization, and it was established that the Sunni-Shia confrontation in Saudi Arabia is not based solely on religious misunderstandings, but rather is a means of political mobilization, support for the legitimacy of power, and preservation of control by the ruling dynasty. This, along with external factors (threats from Iran and the Houthis), ultimately leads to the marginalization of the Shia minority through legal, social, and institutional restrictions and the use of the Wahhabi interpretation of Sunni Islam as an ideological basis.

The research proved that Sunni-Shia antagonism became both a source of external conflicts in the Middle East and internal contradictions that led to discrimination by the larger group against the smaller one. This phenomenon is so deeply rooted and complex that Saudi Arabia’s domestic policy is actively intertwined with its foreign policy, with one stemming from the other. And Saudi Arabia views Shiites as a potential threat to its power and a potential loss of energy-rich territories, while at the same time using the factor of hostility towards Shiites to unite the Sunni population and strengthen religious identity in the country.