| Summary/Abstract |
The dramatic execution of prominent Saudi Shi‘i11. The words Shi‘a and Shi‘i in this article will follow their grammatical function in Arabic, where Shi‘i is the adjective and Shi‘a is the collective noun.View all notes Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr on January 6, 2016, spurred the official breakdown of Iran–Saudi Arabia relations. Other Arab countries, including Bahrain, have followed suit in breaking relations with Iran, which has only added to the now openly hostile sectarian regional environment.22. Ian Black and Saeed Kamali Deghan, “Bahrain, Sudan and UAE follow Saudis in diplomatic action against Iran,” The Guardian, January 4, 2016, http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jan/04/bahrain-cuts-diplomatic-ties-with-iran-in-row-over-saudi-execution-of-shia-cleric.View all notes As these sectarian tensions reach an all-time high in the region, the precarious status of Arab Shi‘a is at the very heart of this phenomenon. In Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and more recently Yemen, Arab Shi‘a have often been assumed to be vaguely Iranian influenced, explicitly backed by Iran, or even Iranians masquerading as Arabs.
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