This is the first book to examine the Arab Shi'a, a community whose identity and problematic relationship with the rest of the Middle East cuts to the heart of the crisis of Arab politics and society. The Shi'a represent a majority of the population along the Arab coast of the Persian Gulf and are the largest religious group in Lebanon. This book, based on extensive field interviews, examines the nature of Shi'ite belief and community life, contemporary political and social problems, key grievances, and the nature of their relationship with the dominant Sunni state today as they seek a major voice in a new political order.

""As a monograph dealing with policy issues related to the Arab Shi'I, this book is very successful and is of special interest to scholars, activists, and policy-makers dealing with issues related to the Arab Shi'i.""--International Journal of Middle East Studies
“This book is especially valuable for policy considerations....” —The New York Times Book Review
“In this lucid, highly readable, and timely book, Fuller and Francke provide an interesting and informative analysis of the travail of the Shi'a politics in the Arab world and explain various patterns of discrimination against the Arab Shi'a.” —Library Journal