Islam by country |
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Shias in Bahrain were estimated to be approximately 55% of Bahraini citizens in 1979.[1] A source from 2011 placed the estimate of Shiites in Bahrain somewhere near 60% of the Muslim population.[2] This number is no longer accurate due to the increasing rates of naturalization of Sunni migrants in Bahrain.[2][3] Most major mosques in the country were Shia, however, the ruling family practices Sunni Islam. According to the Washington Institute, the views of Shia and Sunni leaders in Bahrain are similar to their Arab neighboring countries.[4]
The most recent official Bahraini estimate, published in 2011, revealed that 51% of the country's citizens are Sunnis, while the Shi'ite population had declined to 49% of the citizen population.[5]
Reviewing events in Bahrain during 1979, Ambassador Walker wrote that fortunately the Shia community, approximately 55 percent of the population of 340,000 Bahrainis, was divided...
كشفت وثيقة بحرينية رسمية حديثة أن نسبة المواطنين السنة من إجمالي مواطني البلاد تعادل 51%، في حين توقفت نسبة الطائفة الشيعية عند 49%[A recent official Bahraini document revealed that the percentage of Sunni citizens out of the country’s total citizens is 51%, while the percentage of the Shiite community stopped at 49%..]