The best books about sectarianism in the Middle East

A lot has been written about the origins of the sectarian Sunni-Shi’ite divide. Most writings by Muslims are written from a polemical perspective preoccupied with defending an established sectarian position and refuting counter sectarian narratives. Western scholarly writings rarely delve into the question of the origins of this rift in sufficient detail. Wilfred Madelung’s book provides a painstakingly dispassionate and thorough narrative of the events and disputes surrounding the succession to Prophet Muhammad and the reign of the four “Rightly-Guided Caliphs” (al-Khulafa’ al-Rashidun) which mark the beginnings of the Sunni-Shi’ite rift. Madelung deploys his immensely impressive knowledge of the sources, including classical Arabic chronicles and poetry, as well as Western sources in various languages (English, German, French, and Italian). Madelung’s is a remarkable work of fine and rigorous scholarship.

Fanar Haddad offers his readers a novel analysis of sectarianism in the Arab world – a topic that has been receiving increasing attention in academic research on the region. Haddad provides a deep theoretical analysis of the concept of sectarianism. He shows that sectarian identity, like all identities, is multi-dimensional and multi-layered, operating on various levels: religious, subnational, national, and transnational. He aptly demonstrates that sectarian identities are contextual; they are constantly negotiated through interactions within, and conversations with, a socio-political setting and the relentless flux of historical change. Haddad devotes a full chapter to the question of sectarian identity and the contestation of the state in Iraq between 2003 and 2018. Haddad’s analysis is indispensable for understanding the various dimensions of the problem of sectarianism in the Middle East.

Lawrence Porter’s book is a remarkably impressive collection of case studies on sectarianism on both sides of the Persian Gulf written by area specialists, historians, and social scientists. The studies are rich in details and thoroughly researched. The book’s geographical breadth is an advantage, ensuring comprehensiveness. It allows for comparative analysis and the drawing of cross-national conclusions that account for similarities and differences in how sectarianism plays out in various national settings throughout the Persian Gulf region. The book also has a chapter that examines sectarianism in Yemen and two studies on the overlap between ethnic and sectarian identities in the region: one on the Baluch community in the Gulf; the other on Iran’s ethnic, religious, and tribal minorities.

Ali Allawi has served as minister in several cabinets in post-2003 Iraq. His book provides fascinating insider details on the chaotic world of politics that pushed post-Saddam Iraq into an inferno of sectarianism, insurgency, terrorism, and incessant political crises. Allawi’s definitive history of the invasion of Iraq and its immediate aftermath is rich in detail, insightful in its observations, and candid and dispassionate in its analysis. The book leaves the reader with a sense of foreboding about the ability of Iraqi leaders to extricate the country from the vicious cycle of crises it has lurched into since 2003. Above all, this is a narrative of the agonies of a fragmented nation, devoid of a unifying collective identity, mired in political stalemate, burdened by the past, and unsure about its future.

Drawing on a vast array of primary archival sources and secondary writings, Ussama Makdisi provides an original analytical historical account of the origins of sectarianism in Lebanon. He traces the roots of the atavistic sectarian violence that gripped Ottoman Mount Lebanon in 1860. His narrative refutes widespread arguments making a case for the primordial nature of sectarian identities in Lebanon. Instead, he argues that sectarianism in Lebanon is a byproduct of modernity and modernization. Makdisi shows that sectarianism in Lebanon is a modern nineteenth-century phenomenon linked to the confluence of various historical developments, including the introduction of Ottoman reforms known as Tanzimat, diffusion of European ideas of nationalism, the Ottoman Empire’s integration into the world capitalist market, and colonial meddling in the internal affairs of the Sick Man of Europe.