ABSTRACT
Although Iran and Iraq are the two Middle Eastern states with the largest Shii populations, large numbers of Shiis can also be found in several Gulf states, including Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). With the exception of Bahrain, where the Shiis are a majority, each of these states is governed by a Sunni monarch, who rules over a Shii-minority population. In Bahrain, the Shiis constitute about 70 percent of the country's citizen population. In Kuwait, roughly 30 percent of the country's citizens are Shiis, while in the UAE, the Shiis account for roughly 15 percent, and in Qatar for 13 percent of the population. 1 Even Oman, which is located in the lower Gulf region, has a small but significant Shii population concentrated near the capital area and along the Sultanate's Batina coast.
