Arab Tribes in Iraq
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Most Iraqis identify strongly with a tribe ('ashira), and nearly half of Iraqis are more loyal to their clans or tribes than to the national government. Thirty of the 150 or so identifiable tribes in Iraq are the most influential. Tribes are grouped into federations (qabila). Below the level of the tribe, there are the clan (fakhdh), the house (beit) and the extended family (khams).
On its accession to power in 1968, the Ba'ath party announced its opposition to tribalism (al-qabaliyya), although for pragmatic reasons, especially during the war with Iran, tribalism was sometimes tolerated or even encouraged.
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List of major tribes ('ashira)
Federations (qabila)
- AL-BU MUHAMMAD centered in the Maysan governorate
- 'ANZA (pronunced 'Aniza) federation
- 'AZZA federation around Balad
- DULAYM centered in the Anbar governorate
- Al-Bu Fahd group
- Al-Bu Nimr (from al-Ramadi)
- Al-Mahamda
- Al-Falahat
- Al-Bu Fahad
- Al-Bu Diyab
- Al-Bu Issa (in Fallujah)
- Al-Jumeily (in Fallujah)
- Al-Karabla
- Al-Bu Issaf
- JABUR
- BANI KA'B federation centered south of the city of Basra and across the border in the Khuzestan province of Iran
- KHAZ'AL
- LAM
- MUNTAFIQ
- Al-Sa'dun clan (tribal leaders)
- Bani Malik
- Bani Khalid (plural al-Khawalid)
- Bani Qais (Al-Qaisiyun)
- Bani Sa'id
- Bani Hasan (southern Iraq)
- Bani Khafaja
- Abbouda
- Al-Bu Saleh
- Al-Mayyah
- Al-Izayrij
- Bani Zaid
- Al-Sharifat (An-Naasriya, south of Iraq)
- Al-Ghizi
- Al-Hameed
- RABI'A (pronounced Rubai'i) centered around the Kut city area
- SHAMMAR in the Ninawa governorate
- BANI TAMIM (sometimes written Timim or Temim) in central and southern Iraq
- al-Suhail clan (tribal leaders) near Abu Ghuraib
- al-Turshan section centered in the Diyala governorate
- al-Kan'an section in the Basra governorate and across the border in the Khuzestan province of Iran
- Tikriti federation
- Al-Bu Nasir (includes Saddam Hussein)
- Al-Bu Ajeel
- Al-Shaya'isha
- 'UBAYD (in al-'Alam and Tarmiya)
- ZUBAYD
- Note: The 'AZZA, DULAYM, JABUR, and 'UBAYD federations above are all sub-sections of the ZUBAYD
Baghdad area
- Hamdan (1,500,000)
- Bani Hajam (8,000)
- Bardosti
- Shammar
Mosul area
- Al Dulaimi (100,000?)
- Khazraj
- Descendants of the Khazraj section of the Ansar
- SHAMMAR
- Tayy
- Note: SHAMMAR is a subsection of the Tayy
Tikrit area
- Albu Latif
- Hadithiyyin
- Rifa'iyyin
- Jawa'ina
- Luhayb (in Sharqat)
- Al-Mushahadah in Tarmiya
- An individual from this tribe will have the name of Mash-hadani
Najaf area
- Al-Bu Dush
- Al Jaryu
- Al 'Isa
- Al Shibil
- Bani Hasan
- Kamuna
Other northern tribes
- Al-Bayat
- It is said that this was originally a Turkmen tribe that later mixed with the al-'UBAYD
- Al-Hadid (plural al-Hadidiyun)
- The Bani Harb
- Al-Saadun
- Al-Shammawi
- 'UBAYD (in the southern Haweeja plains)
Basra Families
- Descendants of the noble family of the Prophet Muhammad
- Barakat
- al-Naqib
- From the Bani Khalid (Khawalid)
- Muhammad Al-'Isa
- Al-'Abdul-Wahid
- Najdi families
- al-Zuhair
- Other families
- al-Khudairy
- al-Mandeel
- al-Nama
- al-Rasheed
- al-Thukair
- Baraak
- Basha-Ayan
- Bacha-Chi
- Sheikh Khaz'al
Bedouin tribes
- 'ANZA (pronounced 'Iniza)
- al-Dhufayr
- al-Ghalal
- al-Hassan
- al-Mutayr (pronounced al-Umtayr)
- SHAMMAR
- Bani Khalid (plural Al-Khawalid)
Descendants of the noble family of the Prophet Muhammad
- al-Mushahadah in Tarmiya
- al-Hadid (plural al-Hadidiyun)
- al-Naqib family in Basra
- Barakat family in Basra
- Kamuna family in Najaf
Others, to be classified
- Harb (in ad-Dur)
- Maghami (from Khalis)
- Al-Fallujiyyin (in Falluja)
Related organizations
- Iraq Tribes Council
- National Council of Iraqi Tribes
- National Alliance of Tribes and Clans of Iraq
- Democratic Grouping of Iraqi Tribes
- Iraqi Sheikhs Council (ISC).., Ref.: Sheikh M.Al-ABDULWAHID (Al-Khaledi)
External links
- Arab Tribes in Iraq (http://customwire.ap.org/dynamic/files/specials/interactives/iraqtribe/index.html?SITE=DCTMS&%20SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT) - Associated Press analysis
- Healing Iraq (http://healingiraq.blogspot.com/)
References
- A History of Iraq, Charles Tripp, Cambridge University Press, 2000, ISBN 0521554047/ISBN 0521556333