What are the two major Muslim groups in Iraq?
Religion. Iraq is predominantly a Muslim country, in which the two major sects of Islam are represented more equally than in any other state. About three-fifths of the population is Shiʿi, and about two-fifths is Sunni.
What was Iraq in medieval times?
600 to 1055. In 600 Iraq was a province of the Persian Sasanian empire, to which it had belonged for three centuries. The name Iraq is widely used in the medieval Arabic sources for the area in the centre and south of the modern republic as a geographic rather than a political term, implying no precise boundaries.
When did Islam come to Iraq?
Islamic forays into Iraq began during the reign of Abu Bakr. In 634 an army of 18,000 Arab tribesmen, under the leadership of the brilliant general Khalid ibn al Walid (aptly nicknamed “The Sword of Islam”), reached the perimeter of the Euphrates delta.
What religion is most common in Iraq?
Although Iraq is an overwhelmingly Muslim country, it is both religiously and ethnically diverse. More than 95 percent of the population is Muslim, but this total is divided between Shiites who constitute about 55-60 percent and Sunnis who represent 35-40 percent.
When did Iraq start speaking Arabic?
Official languages It was confirmed by constitutional referendum, held on October 15, 2005. Official text of the Constitution was published on December 28, 2005 in the Official Gazette of Iraq (No. 4012), in Arabic original, and thus came into force.
What is the main difference between the two factions of Islam?
Both sides agreed that Allah is the one true God and that Muhammad was his messenger, but one group (which eventually became the Shiites) felt Muhammad’s successor should be someone in his bloodline, while the other (which became the Sunnis) felt a pious individual who would follow the Prophet’s customs was acceptable.