The Question of Sectarianism: My Salafi Uncle and Shia Grandmother

Logo taken from the Anti-Sectarianism Bahraini campaign "Just Bahraini"

I previously wrote a piece for Jadaliyya on Shiaphobia hitting Kuwait after the protests in Bahrain. Many recalled the dark 80’s when Shia in Kuwait were getting arrested, harassed, insulted, or discriminated against because of Kuwait’s support for Saddam in the Iranian-Iraqi war. Being a supporter of the Bahraini demands for equality, justice, and liberty, I have many times been ‘accused’ of being a Shia, an Iranian agent, a Hezboallah supporter when in fact I stand in complete opposition of the criminal regime in Iran and against Hezboallah that stood shamefully against the Syrian revolt. 

Unlike many voices around the Arab world, I do not find the solution in spotting the light on examples that show national unity, wherever it is, in Bahrain, Syria, or Egypt. Instead, I believe we should admit how rooted it exists so we can move to the phase of creating solutions. I also think it is surely very much rooted in Bahrain, where the Sunnis feel insecure about the probability of the Shia majority taking over Bahrain; being a close observer to Bahraini affairs, the sectarian tone is extremely disgusting and it can easily drive anyone irrationally to hatred and rejection of the other.

 For some reason, I feel the need to tell my own story being someone raised in a family that has members of both sects. Being someone who is of a tribal background, the question of sectarianism takes a whole different turn. The tribal culture of the Arabian Peninsula has been the reason, for a really long time, behind its immunity of sectarianism, I believe. People of tribes had their religious awakening later with the raise of statehood; many of them had a basic understanding of religion and did not know much about religious practices. With states creating themselves, tribes became a reference to one’s roots and ancestors but not a lifestyle as they moved to live with the urbans in the cities where they started to have an education which was very much dependent on religion. In the example of Kuwait, tribes were conservative, pan-arabists, communists, socialists, or just leftists in general when Kuwait became a state engaging in the regional affairs back in the 60's and 70's. Tribes were not invaded with sectarianism or Islamic radicalism except with the empowerment of the Wahabist project that keeps spreading all over the region and beyond; a project that made sure tribes get engaged in it since they are centralized in power and large in numbers.

Due to this tribal nature, that is unfortunately vanishing, I have been raised with uncles and aunts, from both sides, belonging to either the Sunni or Shia sect. Having a secular father, I find myself blessed to have grown with no sectarian prejudices. My moderately religious mother, who did not finish her high school education, has always refused to answer our questions of whether we were Sunni or Shia and she emphasized that no one is entitled to come up with the right judgment or evaluation of this or that sect. Both my parents did not mind the fact that my brother in his teenage hood was swinging between both sects with confusion and big questions.

My bigger family, whom I lived with until mid school, had more ‘interesting’ stories. My grandmother is a Shia in the way she prays for example, but she really has no clue who Khumaini or Sistani are! My Salafi uncle tried in all possible ways to make her change her beliefs, going so far sometimes. Yet, although he is the only religious uncle I have, he was actually the most peaceful and most flexible. The rest of the family cared to practice their conservative traditions, for example, by asking me to wear hijab, for the sake of the society not religion, and to quit my ‘useless’ and ‘unacceptable’ writings. When they kept making such judgments, I stayed focused on what I want to do with the support of my father. It was only my Salafi uncle who stood up and told them to leave me alone. He never confirmed my acts, yet he never condemned them. Many times he would ask me to wear hijab so 'I would go to heaven', but I reply to him saying “yeah yeah I hear you” and he laughs knowing that I am not taking his talk seriously. When his little daughter wanted to wear hijab, unlike other fathers in the family, he asked her “are you sure? Think about it” without taking advantage of her childish enthusiasm.

My Salafi uncle took my grandmother to the pilgrimage and unlike the Salafi calls that Shia are not Muslims, he was happy to be with her and pray with her despite the differences in beliefs. He speaks out saying that Shia rituals are haram and wrong yet he does not bother people repeating it unless they ask his opinion. My Salafi uncle, despite thinking it is wrong, he never minds taking my grandmother to any of the Shia annual celebrations or eat the meals she cooks every now and then in celebration of religious figures that Shia feel strongly tied to, which is a big haram for Salafis, supposedly!

It is because of my secular father, my Salafi uncle, and my Shia grandmother, that I grew up with no religious prejudices. You can think that other religions and sects are completely wrong but you should never deny them and yourself the right to live peacefully!