Fearing a 'Shiite Octopus'. Sunni – Shi'a relations and the implications for Belgium and Europe. Egmont Paper No. 35, January 2010

Puelings, Jelle. (2010) Fearing a 'Shiite Octopus'. Sunni – Shi'a relations and the implications for Belgium and Europe. Egmont Paper No. 35, January 2010. [Policy Paper]

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Abstract

In this paper we will try to give an evaluation of this alleged shift in the Sunni-Shi' a power balance, and point out the possible consequences for Belgium and the EU emanating from this controversy....We have treated the subject from two different angles. First of all, we looked at the level of regional politics and tried to formulate a context in which we have to see the Sunni fear for the conception of a 'Shiite Crescent', a geopolitical construction in which Shiites take over power in the Middle East, thus making the region the backyard of Iran....The second part focuses on the actual Sunni-Shi'a relations, varying from a Wahhabi hostility towards the religious identity of Shiism to a search for rapprochement and coexistence.

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