Sunni Islam

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Lore & Background

Iraqi Sunni Arabs largely originated as a mixture of Arab Muslims who settled in Iraq after the Islamic conquest of the Sasanian Empire, as well as natives who were Arabized. In the early Islamic period, Iraq was a key center of the Abbasid Caliphate, with the city of Baghdad serving as its capital from the 8th to the 13th century. Sunni Arabs played a significant role in the administration (including the ruling Abbasid dynasty) and cultural life of the caliphate, and many important figures of Islamic scholarship and literature emerged from Iraq during this time and during the Islamic Golden Age. Before the creation of nation states, Iraqi Sunni Arabs identified with the wider neighboring Sunni Arab populations. After the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire, King Faisal I was installed as ruler of Iraq. Iraqi Sunni Arab identity consolidated after the independence of Iraq, where Iraqi Sunni Arabs inhabited the provinces of Al-Anbar, Salah al-Din, Nineveh, Kirkuk, Diyala, and parts of Baghdad. Sunni Arabs were the backbone of Saddam Hussein's Ba'athist Iraq regime. Under the Ba'athist regime, Sunni Arabs were portrayed in propaganda as the closest to the rest of the Arab world, fostering unity between Iraq and the rest of the Arab world. This benefited the Sunni minority as Iraqi identity was pushed to be closely tied to Arab socialist and Pan-Arabist ideologies, heavily influenced by Nasserist views originating in revolutionary Egypt. The pre-2003 Iraqi state reflected Sunni norms and culture, positioning Sunni Iraqis as the standard of national identity and enforced during Shia revolts against the state, such as the 1991 Iraqi uprisings. This has led to certain Ba'athist symbols such as the former flag of the Iraqi Republic under Ba'athism being reinterpreted as a distinctly Sunni symbol following its replacement in 2008. During the Iran–Iraq War, Ba'athist narratives portrayed Sunni-led Iraq as the last line of Arab and Sunni defense against Shia Iran, reinforcing a sense of historical mission and communal pride. Following the 2003 invasion of Iraq, Sunni Arabs became targeted by Shia militias. Due to continued repression by the Shia-led government, Sunni Islamist and Ba'athist armed groups such as the Naqshabandi Army took up arms against the government during the 2012–2013 Iraqi protests. This led to the 2013 Anbar campaign and beginning of the War in Iraq against the Islamic State which lasted until December 2017. This was followed by Sunni Arab calls for their own autonomous region in Iraq.

Reader's Guide

Iraqi Sunni Arabs have traditionally been organized into large, indigenous tribal confederations, including Dulaim of Al-Anbar, al-Bu Nasir of Tikrit, al-Bu Nimr of Ramadi, and al-Ubaid of northern Salah al-Din and Kirkuk. These tribes have long functioned as key social, political, and economic structures within Sunni society. In addition, several Bedouin tribes of Najdi and northern Arabian origin, notably the Shammar, Mutayr, Otaibah, and Banu Tamim, historically ranged across the western steppe and southern desert fringes of the Ottoman Empire's Baghdad Vilayet, covering what is now central and southwestern Iraq. Over the course of the 20th century, many members of these tribes integrated into mainstream Jazira-influenced Sunni Iraqi society, gradually transitioning from semi-nomadic livelihoods to urban residence in major centers such as Baghdad, Mosul, and Ramadi, in line with Iraq's broader processes of modernization, sedentarization, and urban expansion. Sunni Iraqi Arab culture, particularly in cities such as Tikrit, Fallujah, Samarra, and Mosul, is characterized by a combination of tribal traditions and conservative Sunni Islamic practices. Common clothing includes the white dishdasha and red-and-white keffiyeh with a black agal, shared with other Arab groups. Regional food traditions vary, Mosul is known for Ottoman-influenced dishes such as baked sambusak with spiced lamb, dolma prepared with pomegranate molasses, and ćevapi (known locally as kebab hindi), a grilled minced meat dish of Balkan origin uncommon in other parts of Iraq. In Samarra, cuisine reflects Bedouin and tribal influences, including pacha with stuffed intestines and tripe, fried sambusak with heavier spices, and dishes like tashreeb (Bread Stew) and timman bil-tamatim (Spiced Tomato Rice) served during communal gatherings. Arabian dishes such as Mandi and Haneeth remain popular special occasion and gathering meals in more Bedouin-descendent desert regions such as Anbar and Saladin, spreading through tribes such as the Banu Tamim and the Mutayr and modern influence from the culture of Eastern Arabia among Sunni Arabs. Diwaniyas in Sunni regions function as formal male-only spaces used for hospitality, dispute resolution, and tribal or religious consultation. Unlike the Shia majlis, Sunni diwaniyas tend to avoid sectarian symbolism and focus on tribal hierarchy and Sunni jurisprudence. Traditional games such as Tavli (backgammon), dominoes, and carrom are commonly played. Music is generally conservative, with limited instrumental use, though Iraqi maqam remains culturally significant. Religious life centers on mosque-based worship, Friday prayers, Ramadan, and Eid, contributing to a distinct Sunni Arab identity in central and northern Iraq. Today, Iraqi Sunni Arabs are represented in politics primarily by the secularist Progress Party and the mixed Sunni-secular Azem Alliance, historically after 2003 they were represented by the Iraqi Islamic Party and other groups associated with the Iraqi Accord Front, as well as the National Dialogue Front, the National Movement for Development and Reform, the Nasserist Socialist Vanguard Party, and the Uniters for Reform Coalition (Muttahidoon). While these parties have provided platforms for Sunni political engagement, their integration into the broader national framework remains slow and uneven. Persistent political marginalization, internal fragmentation, and ongoing instability continue to limit their over

Did You Know?

• In 2003, the United States-based Institute of Peace estimated that around 95% of the total population of Iraq were Muslim, of which Sunnis made up around 40%.
• A CIA World Factbook report from 2015 estimates that 29–34% of the population of Iraq is Sunni Muslim.
• According to a 2011 survey by Pew Research, 42% of Iraqi Muslims are Sunni.
• There were about 9 million Sunni Arabs, 4 million Sunni Kurds and approximately 1.5 million Sunni Turkmens in Iraq (approximately 39%), according to a report published in 2015.
• In a survey in 2015, only 13 percent of Iraqi Sunni Arabs believed that their central government in Baghdad was heading in the right direction.