PDF "Useful Syria" and Demographic Changes in Syria Before Syria Disappears, Stop and Think - The Tower In 2010, it reached nearly 24 million. Three Way Conflict Between Kurds, Shia And Sunni Arabs In ... A Glimpse of Iraq: Sunni Shiite Iraq It was founded in Egypt in 1928 by Hasan al-Banna to promote networking, philanthropy, and spreading the faith. Sunni Versus Shiite: Countries, History, Impact Alawites are the pre-dominant Shia group, followed by Twelvers and Ismailis. Azerbaijan and Iran were both conquered by Shah Ismail I around the same time where he also forced a conversion of Sunnis to Shia Islam. In 2012, the country had a population estimated at 22,530,746, and this number dropped to an estimated population of 22,457,336 as of September 2013. Iraq's unique place in the Sunni-Shia divide | Pew ... How the Assad Clan Have Shaped Syria . Summary paragraph: There were continued reports the Alawi-led government's war with opposition forces and terrorist groups resulted in significant casualties among Syria's majority Sunni population. Arab Sunnis are the largest of the Sunni Muslim communities in the country, forming most Sunni Muslims in all of Syria's districts besides the Al-Hasakah Governorate. Syrian president Bashar al-Assad and most top government officials are Alawis, a Shi'a-affiliated religious group that represents only 20% of the country's populace. Iran also has supported Bashar al-Assad's government in Syria, where only 15-20% of the Muslim population was Shia as of 2009. The Sunni Muslims make up the overwhelming majority in the country (74% of Syria's total population).The Alawites are the minority group (10% of the country's population), followed by . Which Arab countries are Sunni and which are Shiite? The Alevi constitute the second largest religious community in Turkey (following the Sunnis), and number some 25% (20 million) of the total population. Timeline: Modern Sunni-Shia Tensions By 2010, decades of Alawite domination had brought much of the Sunni population to a breaking point. View Syria Fast Facts at CNN to learn about the Middle Eastern country sharing a border with Lebanon, Israel, Jordan, Iraq and Turkey. includes Sunni . Population Distribution in Rif Dimashq According to Religion or Sect at the End of 2011 Duruz 3% Ismailis 0.1% Alawites 4% Shiites 0.9% Christians 5% Sunnis 87% Christians 3% . Eight million Kurds —2.5 million in Syria and 5.5 million in Iraq (16 percent of the population)—live in the area, most of whom are Sunni Arabs. Syria is not just a piece of land; it is densely populated. When I first visited Syria in 1946, the total population was less than 3 million. The Assads, who took power in 1970, are Alawites, a subsect of Shia Islam that . the ethnic and sectarian conflict in Syria and Iraq is actually a three-way conflict between the Sunni Arabs, the Shi'a Arabs and the Kurds. Iran repopulates Syria with Shia Muslims to help tighten regime's control. The main Muslim countries are Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Pakistan, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Indonesia, etc. [George Kurian, Encyclopedia of the Third World, Third Edition, (New York: Facts on File Inc., 1987), p. Syria 15 - 20 ~2 Taiwan <1 <1 Tajikistan ~7 <1 Tanzania <10 <1 Thailand <1 <1 Timor-Leste <1 <1 This article is more than 4 years old. The Civil War in Syria has become one of the most bloody and geopolitically important events to come out of the Arab Spring. After Syria attained independence in 1946, the Alawite community began to play an active role in two key areas: political parties and the armed . weighs in on the use of chemical weapons in Syria and the possible coup attempt in Venezuela. Most are Sunnis. The authorities seem intent on maintaining the new demography. This project would have benefited from more recent census and ethnicity data. Syria's estimated pre-Syrian Civil War 2011 population was 22 ±.5 million permanent inhabitants, which included 21,124,000 Syrians, as well as 1.3 million Iraqi refugees and over 500,000 Palestinians. Sunni Muslims make up between 69 and 74% of Syria's population and Sunni Arabs account for 59-60% of the population. [78] According to civil society activists and journalists, the government continued to engage in extrajudicial killings and detentions. In 1973, a new constitution was adopted, replacing Islam as the state religion with a mandate that the president's religion be Islam, and protests erupted. The Shia's are around 20% population of Syria and Turkey. In Iraq, Shiites are a majority. That is nearly 90% of the whole Muslim population. During the 1980s Iraq and Iran fought an eight-year war after an Iraqi surprise attack sought to grab oil-rich Iranian territory near the border where most of the locals were Arabs. The major portion of the Muslim community is called the Sunni Muslims. Under Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq, which was dominated by Sunnis, the country clashed with Iran. At year's end there were more than 5.6 million Syrian refugees, primarily Sunni, registered with the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in neighboring countries and 6.2 million IDPs. After the 2011 Civil War began much of the Sunni population fled. Addressing Lebanon's own Sunni population - which has largely turned against Hezbollah due to its key role in the Syrian civil war on the side of the Assad regime - Nasrallah urged them not to be . Several different denominations and sects of Islam are practised within Syria, whom collectively, constitute approximately 87% of the population and forming a majority in most of the districts of the country.. Azerbaijan is a post-Soviet country where the population and the institutions are widely secular. Sunnis are a majority in the Arab and the Muslim world. India, for example, has the third-largest population of Muslims worldwide. The relative decline of the Syrian Alawi population since the 1980s is due to an accelerated demographic transition experienced by all minorities—Alawi, Christian, Druze, and Ismaili. They cover almost 1.5 billion people in this world. Iran is a non-Arab Shiite-Muslim nation. And Iran is about 90 to 95% majority Shia. These minority Muslim populations are often quite large. Population: 20,384,316 (July 2021 est . And if the Arab states are able to convince Assad to remove the Iranians from Syria, that would be a major boon for Israel. The insurgency they have created is not strong enough to defeat the Assad regime and its determined backers. Continued population displacement adds a degree of uncertainty to demographic analyses, but the U.S. government estimates 74 percent of the population is Sunni Muslim, which includes ethnic Arabs, Kurds, Circassians, Chechens, and some Turkomans. Syria's population and 29% of the population of "Useful Syria." The inhabitants there are 87% Sunni, 5% Christian, 4% Alawite, 3% Duruz, 1% Shiite, and 0.1% Ismaili. More than half of the country's population of 22m has been displaced—6.5m inside Syria and over 6m abroad. Syria's Alawi Population. In 1971, al-Assad declared himself president of Syria, a position the constitution at the time permitted only for Sunni Muslims. Syria Night-time Lights 2011-2013 Percentage of Fatalities Per Province population in the area of 50 million, Sunni Arabs make up 41 percent (20.6 million) and the Shia Twelvers 34 percent (17 million). The sectarianism in Syria is drawing Azerbaijani attention as the civil war's central dynamic of a Shia-Sunni divide could potentially complicate Azerbaijan's future. Azerbaijan is a post-Soviet country where the population and the institutions are widely secular. This Sunni group is predominant in Egypt and Jordan 22 . There is also a Twelver Shia community which forms about 5% of the Muslim population. Syria is the only Middle Eastern country that has a majority Sunni population but is ruled by a Shiite minority. The Islamic State has maintained its command structure and operational capabilities despite the loss of its leader, Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, according to a new quarterly report on Operation Inherent Resolve. Shia's make up the remaining 13%: Alawites, Ismailis, and Twelvers. Islam in Syria comprises 87% of the total population. Katherine . Number of Shia population: 19 -22 . The Sunni population also includes many non-Arabic speakers, including most Kurds-and the Kurdish population may form fifteen or even twenty percent of the total. China has more Muslims than Syria, while Russia is home to more Muslims than Jordan and Libya combined. The Shia's are around 20% population of Syria and Turkey. Map of Shia/Sunni Population. The Kurds of Syria are the country's second-largest ethnic group, at around 10 percent of the population, with most being Sunni Muslims. [see also: Age structure - 65 years and over country ranks] population pyramid: This is the population pyramid for Syria. One thing that did not change much was the portion of the population that was Shia. It is generally accepted that Arabs account for approximately between 60 and 65 percent of Syria's Sunni population while Kurds and Turkmen account for about ten and three percent of the remaining population, respectively. This Sunni group is predominant in Egypt and Jordan 22 . By. The government's ostracization of Sunni communities and security failures expedited AQI's return to prominence. In short order, the militant organization rapidly expanded in summer 2014, through Sunni-populated territories in central and northern Iraq and central and southeastern Syria. This makes for 1.7% and not 3% of the population. It should be noted here that shai population today is only 15% of world Muslim population and yet most of Shia live in the middle eastern regime: it may be around 100-150 millions Shia population live today in the world and yet most of them live in the Middle East region: particular in these four countries: Iran, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon: for that reason it would be difficult for Sunni to . Of the total Muslim population, 10-13% are Shia Muslims and 87-90% are Sunni Muslims. New communities are settling in areas where Sunnis have fled or been forced out as . When Iraqi security forces invaded protest camps, Sunni attacks against Shia targets increased. And the forces that have flourished among the rebels because of those proxies are dominated by those committed to the establishment of a militant Sunni Syria that would likely be disastrous for Syria's non-Sunni population. Population Distribution in Rif Dimashq According to Religion or Sect at the End of 2011 Duruz 3% Ismailis 0.1% Alawites 4% Shiites 0.9% Christians 5% Sunnis 87% Christians 3% . Syria, a Middle Eastern country, has a population that's difficult to determine due to instability; the Syrian situation is among the largest humanitarian crises worldwide. 44. The Alawis, Lords of Syria: From Ethnic Minority to Ruling Sect. Syria is ruled by Alawites, but the community itself is a minority making up around 12% to 15% of the pre-war Syrian population. The most recent census data conducted in Syria was in 2004. It grew into an umbrella organization for Islamist groups in Syria, Sudan, Jordan, Kuwait, Yemen, Libya, and Iraq. The Sunni majority grew increasingly disgruntled by their lack of power in the country. Sunnis make up 74% of the total, mostly of Arab, Kurdish and Turkish ethnicities. As the insurgency continued to be identified with the Sunni population, the government reportedly targeted largely Sunni opposition-held towns and The reality of the situation is that the civil war in Syria, though it has escalated tremendously, remains essentially a clash between an authoritarian, ruthless leadership and its associated elite (as well as those who feared instability) and the masses tired of bowing their heads. These minorities are believed to constitute the bulk of the support base of the Syrian regime. In Iraq, Shias are majority group as well. 1882.] With this integration began a bid for Alawite acceptance as a brand of Islam. The Alevi constitute the second largest religious community in Turkey (following the Sunnis), and number some 25% (20 million) of the total population. 72 percent of the total population). Availability and lack of complete and reliable conflict data severely limited the scope of this project. The vast majority of Kurds are Sunnis. The Sunni Arab factions don't all agree on how to deal with the Assads and for two generations the Assads have ruled Syria by exploiting those differences and expect to have an easier time now because there are fewer Sunni Arabs. Methodology for Sunni-Shia Estimates Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life / Mapping the Global Muslim Population www.pewforum.org 39 Estimated Percentage Range of Shia by Country Afghanistan 10 - 15 ~2 . To make matters worse, Iran is encouraging Shia from other countries (Lebanon, Afghanistan and Iraq) to settle in Syria and take over the homes and property of the departed Sunnis. Host Katherine Lanpher talks with Jocelyne Cesari of Harvard University about Alawi beliefs and their role in Syrian society and politics. The U.S. government estimates the Christian population is 10 percent, although media and other reports, such as those issued by Americans for a Free Syria estimate that figure is considerably lower, approximately 2.5 percent or 450,000 individuals, due to Christians fleeing the country because of the civil war. Various sources put the share of non-Sunni Muslim minorities at around one quarter of the population. U.S. Central Command said that ISIS has "remained cohesive, with an intact command and control structure, urban clandestine networks, and an insurgent presence in much of rural Syria" since . Methodology for Sunni-Shia Estimates Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life / Mapping the Global Muslim Population www.pewforum.org 39 Estimated Percentage Range of Shia by Country Afghanistan 10 - 15 ~2 . Shia population: 19 -22 million. It's become an article of faith among policy makers and analysts in the West that Syria is a nation of minorities. . If we consider Alawites to be Shiites, then the Shiite population is about 13% of the total population in Syria, 11% of whom are Alawites, and 2% are original Shiites. These minority Muslim populations are often quite large. Lynne Rienner, pg 136-137. The war makes an accurate count of the Syrian population difficult, as the numbers of Syrian refugees, internally displaced Syrians and casualty numbers are in flux. This is a joint effort to block Iranian efforts to gain the support of the border population. The Rise of the Alawites. Preceding the civil war, the Syrian population numbered a total of 23 million people; of that, the Shiite population numbered about 300 to 400 thousand people. Of the total Muslim population, 10-13% are Shia Muslims and 87-90% are Sunni Muslims. According to the census, in 2004 the population of the province of Sweida, where Jabal al Druze is located, had only 313,231 inhabitants against 17,920,844 of the total population of Syria. Amid the conflict, Syria's moderate Sunni Arabs have suffered major setbacks Beirut CNN — The dusty roads of Azaz, just off the Turkish-Syrian border, used to be the sort of place you whizzed . India, for example, has the third-largest population of Muslims worldwide. Population trends. Notice Iraq has a much larger Shia population than Sunni. Zisser, E. (1999). Fox News Military Analyst, General Jack Keane (Ret.) Before the war, Syria had an annual population growth of about 2.6 percent. Dozens of Sunnis killed across Syria in Shia led air raids report say. While the Sunni branch makes up the greater part of the global Muslim population of more than a billion, Shiites form the majority in Iraq—as many as 15 million out of a population of 24 million. In Syria the ruthless and resourceful Shia Assad clan had managed to take control of the government despite the Sunni majority population. That means the Sunni majority of the Syrian population goes from over 70 percent in 2011 to 58 percent in 2020. Approximately 5,000 flee Syria every day. The map above shows the percentage of Shia/Sunni population in the mid-east today. Although after the declaration of war against a faction of Sunni Arab militants, the Islamic State, the US has also lent its support to the Shi'a-led government in Iraq, but the Shi'a Arabs of Iraq are not the trustworthy allies of . Azerbaijan has the second highest Shia Muslim population in the world accounting for 83.6% of the total population while the sect accounts for 85% of the Muslim population in the country. There are a small number of Yezidis in Syria, ethnic Kurds who practice a 4,000 year old religion (see Iraq). where close to 90 per cent of the population is Sunni Sunnis are mainly of the Shafi'i madhhab with pockets of Hanafi and Hanbali. 5/17/2015. While the war has become in many ways a sectarian Shi'a-Sunni battle, in Syria there is a third religious group that has played a pivotal role in the history of that country: the Alawites. The Sunni Muslims make up the majority of Muslims in the country (70% of Syria's total population). It is approximately 65 to 70% more than Sunni. The differences between Alawites and Sunnis in Syria have sharpened dangerously since the beginning of the 2011 uprising against President Bashar al-Assad, whose family is Alawite.The reason for the tension is primarily political rather than religious: Top positions in Assad's army are held by Alawite officers, while most of the rebels from the Free Syrian Army and other opposition groups . It was founded in Egypt in 1928 by Hasan al-Banna to promote networking, philanthropy, and spreading the faith. The Sunni insurgency, brewing for years in response to what it sees as exclusionary policies of Shiite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, expands toward Baghdad and the borders with Syria and Jordan. Part of the solution to stabilizing the situation inside Syria would entail helping to protect large swaths of the Sunni population from bombing by the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad . Turkmen are mostly Sunni. They are 65 - 70% of all Iraqi Muslim population and 11 - 12% Shia worldwide. Shia make up the majority of the citizen population in Iraq, Bahrain, Iran, and Azerbaijan, as well as being a politically significant minority in Pakistan, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen and Kuwait. Many people mistakenly think that Muslims are divided into two halves: Sunnis and Shi'it. The Alawite minority had controlled the country's economy, military, and government since the Assad family rose to power in 1970. Total population of these provinces in 2011 was 1.4 million but only about 20 percent of that was on or near the border. Such a scenario would be well received in Jerusalem. Syria 15 - 20 ~2 Taiwan <1 <1 Tajikistan ~7 <1 Tanzania <10 <1 Thailand <1 <1 Timor-Leste <1 <1 Sunni population in Syria. [8] Syria's Sunni majority population can be further demarcated along ethnic lines. There are a small number of Yezidis in Syria, ethnic Kurds who practice a 4,000 year old religion (see Iraq). Although Syria has no official religion, 85 percent of the population is Muslim, and of these, 85 percent are members of the Sunni sect (i.e. Many of the middle-class Alawis began to move to the city and integrated with the greater Syria population. Most accepted and biggest group of Islam are the Sunni people. Azerbaijan - 65-75% . In 2011, the non-Sunni population of Syria shrank to about 20 percent, compared to 30 percent in 1980. All the rest (93.5%) are Sunnis (ignoring the fact the Shi'ism is a totally different religion than Islam). the majority of whom were Sunni Muslims. Sunnis are a majority in most Muslim communities: in Southeast Asia, China, South Asia, Africa, and a part of the Arab world. The U.S. government estimates the total population at 19.5 million (July 2018 estimate). Several large Sufi orders are active . China has more Muslims than Syria, while Russia is home to more Muslims than Jordan and Libya combined. Sunnis account for the majority of the country. It grew into an umbrella organization for Islamist groups in Syria, Sudan, Jordan, Kuwait, Yemen, Libya, and Iraq. About 32 percent of the population is under 15, and 4.3 percent are 65 or older. There is also a Twelver Shia community which forms about 5% of the Muslim population. In Syria, Lebanon, Bahrain and Iraq, Sunni and Shia Muslims are struggling for power while religious intolerance rises violently in Egypt. A population pyramid illustrates the age and sex structure of a country's population and may provide insights about political and social stability, as well as economic development. In December 2012, Sunnis in northern Iraq began protesting Maliki's heavy-handed and sectarian governance in Anbar province. The remaining 10 percent The Sunni insurgency, brewing for years in response to what it sees as exclusionary policies of Shiite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, expands toward Baghdad and the borders with Syria and Jordan. The largest religious group in Syria is Sunni Muslims, who make up about 74% of the population, of whom Arabic-speaking Sunnis form the majority, followed by the Kurds, Turkmens/Turkomans, Circassians, and Palestinians.The capital cities of eleven of the fourteen governorates have Sunni majority populations, except for the cities of Latakia, Tartus, and Suwayda. The Alawites are the predominant non-Sunni group (11% of the country's population), followed by Shia Ismailis (3%) and orthodox Shia Twelvers (2%).There are also some Kurdish and Turkmen Alevi in northern Syria. Assad has had to consider the fact that about two-thirds of Syria's pre-civil-war population was Sunni Arab. Within the Arab population of Iraq, the Sunni and Shiite doctrines are not related in any way to any ethnic or racial differences. In reality Shia are between 7.5% to 11%. Syria's population and 29% of the population of "Useful Syria." The inhabitants there are 87% Sunni, 5% Christian, 4% Alawite, 3% Duruz, 1% Shiite, and 0.1% Ismaili. Understanding the Situation in Syria. But the Syrian leadership is dominated by Alawites (an offshoot of Shia Islam). The sectarianism in Syria is drawing Azerbaijani attention as the civil war's central dynamic of a Shia-Sunni divide could potentially complicate Azerbaijan's future. 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