The persecution of Shia Muslims by the Islamic State refers to the persecution of

Shia Muslims Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that the Islamic prophet Muhammad designated ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his successor (''khalīfa'') and the Imam (spiritual and political leader) after him, mos ...

by the

Islamic extremist Islamic extremism, Islamist extremism, or radical Islam, is used in reference to extremist beliefs and behaviors which are associated with the Islamic religion. These are controversial terms with varying definitions, ranging from academic und ...

group

Islamic State An Islamic state is a state that has a form of government based on Islamic law (sharia). As a term, it has been used to describe various historical polities and theories of governance in the Islamic world. As a translation of the Arabic term ...

(IS), which took place in

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...

, Syria, and other areas across the world. Despite being the religious majority in Iraq,

have been killed and otherwise persecuted by IS, which is Sunni. On 12 June 2014, ISIL killed 1,700 unarmed Shia Iraqi Army cadet recruits in the

Camp Speicher massacre The Camp Speicher massacre occurred on 12 June 2014, when the Islamic State killed between 1,095 to 1,700 Iraqi cadets in an attack on Camp Speicher in Tikrit, Iraq. At the time of the massacre, there were between 5,000 and 100,000 unarmed c ...

. ISIL has also targeted Shia prisoners. According to witnesses, after the militant group took the city of

Mosul Mosul ( ar, الموصل, al-Mawṣil, ku, مووسڵ, translit=Mûsil, Turkish: ''Musul'', syr, ܡܘܨܠ, Māwṣil) is a major city in northern Iraq, serving as the capital of Nineveh Governorate. The city is considered the second larg ...

, they divided the Sunni prisoners from the Shia prisoners. Up to 670 Shia prisoners were then taken to another location and executed. Kurdish officials in Erbil reported on the incident of Sunni and Shia prisoners being separated and Shia prisoners being killed after the Mosul prison fell to ISIL. IS also targeted

Christians Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words '' Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρ ...

and

Yazidis Yazidis or Yezidis (; ku, ئێزیدی, translit=Êzidî) are a Kurmanji-speaking endogamous minority group who are indigenous to Kurdistan, a geographical region in Western Asia that includes parts of Iraq, Syria, Turkey and Iran. The ma ...

in northern Iraq on a "historic scale", putting entire communities "at risk of being wiped off the map of Iraq". In a special report released on 2 September 2014, Amnesty International described how ISIL had "systematically targeted non-Sunni Muslim communities, killing or abducting hundreds, possibly thousands, of individuals and forcing more than tens of thousands of Shias, Sunnis, along with other minorities to flee the areas it has captured since 10 June 2014". The most targeted Shia groups in Nineveh Governorate were Shia

Turkmens Turkmens ( tk, , , , ; historically "the Turkmen"), sometimes referred to as Turkmen Turks ( tk, , ), are a Turkic ethnic group native to Central Asia, living mainly in Turkmenistan, northern and northeastern regions of Iran and north-weste ...

and

Shabaks Shabaks ( ar, الشبك; ku, شەبەک, translit=Şebek) are a group with a disputed ethnic origin. Some Shabaks identify themselves as a distinct ethnic group and others as ethnic Kurds. They live east of Mosul in Iraq. However their cultural t ...

The fall of Mosul

In summer 2014, Shia properties in

and other ISIL-held areas were painted with the letter (

resh Resh is the twentieth letter of the Semitic abjads, including Phoenician Rēsh , Hebrew Rēsh , Aramaic Rēsh , Syriac Rēsh ܪ, and Arabic . Its sound value is one of a number of rhotic consonants: usually or , but also or in Hebrew and No ...

) for '' Rafidah'', a derogatory term for Shias used by Sunni Muslims. Houses and shops owned by Shias were confiscated by ISIL and given to local ISIL supporters or ISIL foreign fighters. Thousands of Shia Shabaks and Turkmen fled the cities of Mosul,

Tal Afar Tal Afar ( ar, تَلْعَفَر, Talʿafar, ) is a city in the Nineveh Governorate of northwestern Iraq, located 63 km (39 mi) west of Mosul, 52 km (32 mi) east of SinjarNineveh Governorate to safer Shia-majority areas further south.

Attacks against Shias in Bashir

Thousands of Shias from villages in Salahudin and Kirkuk governorates fled to neighbouring villages in Kirkuk after three

Shia Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that the Islamic prophet Muhammad designated ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his successor (''khalīfa'') and the Imam (spiritual and political leader) after him, mo ...

villages were attacked by ISIL and at least 40 civilians including children were killed near the town of Bashir.

Destruction of Shia shrines and places of worship

ISIL views Shia Muslims as

polytheists Polytheism is the belief in multiple deities, which are usually assembled into a pantheon of gods and goddesses, along with their own religious sects and rituals. Polytheism is a type of theism. Within theism, it contrasts with monotheism, the ...

and

heretics Heresy is any belief or theory that is strongly at variance with established beliefs or customs, in particular the accepted beliefs of a church or religious organization. The term is usually used in reference to violations of important religi ...

. Therefore, it started a campaign to destroy all Shia shrines, mosques and places of worship in Nineveh and all ISIL-held areas. Reports stated that at least 10 Shia shrines and hussiniyas including historical ones in

and

Tal Afar Tal Afar ( ar, تَلْعَفَر, Talʿafar, ) is a city in the Nineveh Governorate of northwestern Iraq, located 63 km (39 mi) west of Mosul, 52 km (32 mi) east of SinjarShia shrine of the companion of Muhammad,

Uwais al-Qarni Awais bin Bashir ( ar, أُوَيْس ٱبْن عَامِر ٱبْن جَزْء ٱبْن مَالِك ٱلْقَرَنِيّ, ), also spelled Uways or Owais, was a Muslim from Yemen who lived during the lifetime of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.B ...

.In July 2016, ISIL attacked a Shia shrine during the

Muhammad ibn Ali al-Hadi Mausoleum attack On 7 July 2016, at least 56 people were killed and 75 injured after a group of attackers stormed the Mausoleum of Muhammad ibn Ali al-Hadi, Sayid Mohammed bin Ali al-Hadi, a Shia holy site in Balad, Iraq, Balad, Iraq. The attackers included suici ...

, killing anywhere from 56 to at least 100 people.

Genocide claims

On 17 March 2016, United States Secretary of State

John Kerry John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician and diplomat who currently serves as the first United States special presidential envoy for climate. A member of the Forbes family and the Democratic Party, he ...

declared that the violence initiated by ISIL against

and others in Iraq and Syria amounted to

genocide Genocide is the intentional destruction of a people—usually defined as an ethnic, national, racial, or religious group—in whole or in part. Raphael Lemkin coined the term in 1944, combining the Greek word (, "race, people") with the Lat ...

. He said:

"In my judgment,
Daesh An Islamic state is a state that has a form of government based on Islamic law (sharia). As a term, it has been used to describe various historical polities and theories of governance in the Islamic world. As a translation of the Arabic ter ...
is responsible for genocide against groups in areas under its control including
Yazidis Yazidis or Yezidis (; ku, ئێزیدی, translit=Êzidî) are a Kurmanji-speaking endogamous minority group who are indigenous to Kurdistan, a geographical region in Western Asia that includes parts of Iraq, Syria, Turkey and Iran. The ma ...
,
Christians Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words '' Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρ ...
and
Shia Muslims Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that the Islamic prophet Muhammad designated ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his successor (''khalīfa'') and the Imam (spiritual and political leader) after him, mos ...
" - John Kerry

Kerry's statement came the same week the

US House The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

voted 383–0 in favor of classifying the atrocities committed by ISIL as a genocide against certain ethnic and religious minorities in its territories.

List of Islamic State attacks on Shias

Afghanistan

The

Islamic State – Khorasan Province The Islamic State – Khorasan Province (; ISKP) is an affiliate of the Islamic State militant group active in South Asia and Central Asia. Some media sources also use the terms ISK (or IS–K), ISISK (or ISIS–K), IS–KP, Daesh–Khorasan or ...

has committed bombing attacks against Hazara Shia civilians in

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

. *On February 24, 2015, 30 Shia men were kidnapped between Kabul and Kandahar *On July 24, 2016, a suicide bombing occurred killing 80 Shias and 231 injured in Kabul during a protest. *On October 11, 2016, in Kart-e Sakhi, Kabul, 14 Shias were killed by a suicide bombing. *On November 21, 2016, a suicide bombing occurred killing 32 and injuring over 80 Shias at the Shia Baqir-ul Ulum Mosque, Kabul. *On August 1, 2017, in Jadwadia, Herat, Afghanistan a bombing occurred killing 33 deaths and leaving 66 people injured. *On August 25, 2017, in Imam Zaman Shia Mosque, Dasht-e Barchi, Kabul 35 were killed and 65 were injured by a suicide bombing. *On October 20, 2017, in Imam Zaman Shia Mosque, Khair Khana, Kabul 69 were killed and 77 were injured by a suicide bombing. *On December 28, 2017, in Shia Tabayan cultural center, Kabul 42 were killed and 69 were injured by a suicide bombing. *On March 21, 2018, in Kart-e Sakhi, Kabul, 33 were killed and 65 were injured by a suicide bombing. *On August 18, 2019, a bombing happened at a shia wedding killing 63 and 180 wounded. *On March 6, 2020, an ISIS gunmen killed 32 and wounded 81 in the Dasht-e-Barchi area during a ceremoney *On May 12, 2020, Shia Hazara's were attacked by bombing Dasht-e-Barchi hospital killing 24 people and injuring an unknown number of people. *On October 25, 2020, a bombing occurred in the Shia Dasht-E-Brachi district killing 30 people and wounding over 70. *On May 8, 2021, an attack happened at the Dasht-e-Barachi district, near the Shia Sayeed-ul-Shuhada Girls School killing 50 people have wounding more than 100. *On October 8, 2021, Shia Muslims were attacked at Sayed Abad Mosque, Kunduz leading to 72 dead and 140 injured. *On October 15, 2021, a bombing occurred in the Bibi Fatima Mosque, Kandahar killing 63 Shias and 83 injured. *On November 13, 2021, a bombing occurred in a Shia dominated suburb leading 1 death and 4 injured. *On December 10, 2021, a bombing occurred in the Dasht-e-Barchi district in Kabul leading to two Shias dead and four injured. *On April 21, 2022, four bombings occurred all over Afghanistan, one of the bombings was claimed by ISIS. It was the bombing north of Mazar-e-Sharif, at a Shia mosque. 33 have died and 43 have been wounded. *On April 28, 2022, A bombing happened near the Shia shrine, Mazar-i-Sharif killing nine people and wounding 13. *On September 30, 2022, A suicide bombing in and educational facility, in Afghanistan, Kabul, detonating in front of hundreds of teenaged boys and girls killing 53 students, 110 injured.

Iraq

*On June 12, 2014, in Tikrit, ISIS forces targeted Shia and non-Muslims for killings. The death toll led to 1,095 to 1,700 deaths. This event has been labeled as the

and is considered the second deadliest act of terror. The number of deaths exceeded the death toll of 9/11. *On June 16, 2014, near the city of Kirkuk, 40 Shia Turkmen were killed by ISIS *On August 13, 2015, a large bombing occurred in a food market in

Sadr City Sadr City ( ar, مدينة الصدر, translit=Madīnat aṣ-Ṣadr), formerly known as Al-Thawra ( ar, الثورة, aṯ-Ṯawra) and Saddam City ( ar, مدينة صدام, Madīnat Ṣaddām), is a suburb district of the city of Baghdad, Iraq. ...

in a Shia neighborhood, this bombing led to 76 people being killed and 212 wounded. *On May 1, 2016, Two suicide car bombs in the city of Samawa in a heavily Shia populated area went off killing 33 Shias and wounding 75. *On May 2, 2016, ISIS did a bombing in Baghdad killing 18 Shia pilgrims. *On July 3, 2016, ISIS did a car bombing on a Shia neighborhood near the end of Ramadan wounding over 300, the death toll has been confirmed to be 281. *On July 7, 2016, the Shia shrine of Muhammad ibn Ali al-Hadi was attacked by a bombing killing 292. *On July 24, 2016, ISIS did a suicide bombing in

Kadhimiya Kadhimiya ( ar, ٱلْكَاظِمِيَّة, al-Kāẓimiyyah, ) or Kadhimayn (, ) is a northern neighbourhood of the city of Baghdad, Iraq. It is about from the city's center, on the west bank of the Tigris. 'Kadhimiya' is also the name of on ...

killing 14 Shias and wounding 31 people. *On July 20, 2021, ISIS did a bombing in a Shia neighborhood on the east side of

Baghdad Baghdad (; ar, بَغْدَاد , ) is the capital of Iraq and the second-largest city in the Arab world after Cairo. It is located on the Tigris near the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon and the Sassanid Persian capital of Ctesiphon. I ...

, the bombing resulted in 30 people dead and wounding 50. *On October 27, 2021, in Al-Rashad, Diyala an ISIS gunman shot nine men in a majority Shia populated village leading to sectarian conflict in the area.

Kuwait

*On 26 June, 2015, ISIS did a bombing on the al-Imam as-Sadiq Mosque during Friday prayer killing over 25 worshippers and wounding 179.

Lebanon

*On June 24, 2014, A bombing occurred in a Shia suburb wounding 12 people. *On November 12, 2015, A car bombing happened outside of a shia mosque in Beirut killing over 37 and wounding 181. *In February 2022, An ISIS attack on multiple different Shia populated attacks was prevented by the ISF.

Pakistan

ISIS has started to conduct operations in Pakistan. *On May 13, 2015, a group of ISIS-linked gunmen attacked a bus killing 46 Shia Muslims. *On January 3, 2021, an ISIS fighter shot down 11 Shia coal miners. *On March 4, 2022, a bombing occurred in a Shia mosque in Peshawar during Friday prayer killing 61 Shias and injuring 196.

Saudia Arabia

*On May 22, 2015, ISIS conducted a suicide bombing at the Shia Imam Ali mosque in the village of al-Qadeeh during Friday prayer, killing 21 and injuring 80.

Syria

*On February 2015, A bombing occurred near the shrine at a checkpoint, two suicide bombings killed four people and wounded 13. *On January 31, 2016, a car bomb and two suicide bombers attacked a district in Damascus near a Shia holy site 60 people died (including 25 Shia fighters) and wounded around 110 people. ISIS claimed the attack later on. *On February 21, 2016, a number of bombings occurred in front of the Syeda Zainab Shirne leading to 198 people dying and 178 wounded, including children.

Yemen

*On March 20, 2015, multiple shia mosques were bombed in multiple locations in

Sanaa Sanaa ( ar, صَنْعَاء, ' , Yemeni Arabic: ; Old South Arabian: 𐩮𐩬𐩲𐩥 ''Ṣnʿw''), also spelled Sana'a or Sana, is the capital and largest city in Yemen and the centre of Sanaa Governorate. The city is not part of the Gover ...

, the casualties were 142 dead and 351 wounded."Scores killed in suicide attacks on Yemen mosques"
AlJazeera. 21 Mar 2015, Retrieved April 13, 2022

References

{{Genocide topics 2014 establishments in Iraq 2017 disestablishments in Iraq 2010s in Islam

ISIL An Islamic state is a state that has a form of government based on Islamic law (sharia). As a term, it has been used to describe various historical polities and theories of governance in the Islamic world. As a translation of the Arabic term ...

Ethnic cleansing by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant Forced migration Shia Islam in Iraq Shia Islam in Syria

Shias Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that the Islamic prophet Muhammad designated ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his successor (''khalīfa'') and the Imam (spiritual and political leader) after him, mos ...

Terrorism in Iraq Terrorism in Syria Terrorism in the Middle East People killed by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant Genocides in Asia Racism in the Arab world 21st-century mass murder