"This is the first book to examine the Arab Shi'a community, a group whose identity and problematic relationship with the rest of the Middle East has cut to the heart of the crisis of Arab politics and society. From southern Iraq and along the coast of the Persian Gulf, the Arab Shi'a are concentrated in the strategic Gulf region; they form majorities in Iraq and Bahrain and they are the largest religious group in Lebanon. Historically there have been major tensions between the Shi'a and Sunni communities. 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."--BOOK JACKET.