The New Sectarianism: The Arab Uprisings and the Rebirth of the Shi’a-Sunni Divide

Abdo (Mecca and Main Street) combines a wealth of experience of reporting in the Middle East, fresh interviews, and an expansive survey of social media to claim that religious identity is the critical factor at work in region’s hostilities in the wake of recent Arab turmoil. To make this case, she highlights the rhetoric and attitudes of emerging leaders among both Shia and Sunni communities, situating Salafists on one side and Shia clerics on the other. Her nuanced delineation of different expressions of sectarian rhetoric—from quiet to fervently Islamist, violent to apolitical—is helpful, but her evaluation borders on overemphasizing religion and ignoring the interdependence of culture and faith, both of which are capable of precipitating change separately or together. Nonetheless, anyone interested in better perceiving current conflicts in the region will benefit from Abdo’s analysis and her assertion that how Shi’a and Sunni perceive each other in the wake of Arab uprisings affects Arab life at every level of society. [em](Dec.) [/em]