Transcending sectarianism through minority rights in Iraq

The emergence of a Shia-majority Iraqi state has provoked a debate on the nature of Shia Islam, and its potential for control of the wider Middle East. As a result some commentators have pointed to what is termed a 'Shia revival' or awakening, with Iraq the nexus where many of these critical issues are converging. Through the prism of the 'Shia revival' proposal, this article argues that the re-conceptualization of the emerging Iraqi state in Shia-majority terms is misguided. It seeks to provide an overview of three major developments in the Shia identity in Iraq: the background to the disenfranchisement of the Shia grouping in modern Iraq; the Shia intifada after the first Gulf War; and the devastating insurgency post-2003. The final section counters the arguments for a Shia revival, pointing instead to the human rights discourse with a specific emphasis on minority rights provisions as a more appropriate framework for representative government within the state.