ABSTRACT
Both before and during the war, the Shia communities in Ukraine and the ongoing processes within them have remained largely unnoticed, even though they were among the first victims of the conflict, with many becoming internally displaced persons. This chapter delves into how the war has impacted traditional religious authority constructs for some Shia Muslims and explains their experiences through concepts of identity and collective memory. The research is based on interviews with representatives of the Shia community in Ukraine, analyses of existing literature on Shi’ism in Ukraine and globally, as well as sources on collective memory and Shia theology. The study demonstrates how religious authorities in Shia communities and the collective memory of Ukrainian Shi’ites can be examined from a purely religious perspective by invoking the sacred Shia Islamic history. It also explores the intersection of national and ethnic identities with religious ones, as Shia Muslims draw connections between events in their historical homeland and those they are experiencing in Ukraine.
