A sense of subordination towards Shiism among many Sunnis is developing following Hezbollah's successes and Tehran's manoeuvring. Iran is present in Iraq with its secret services and massive economic support to Shia groups.

Dubai (AsiaNews) – Hezbollah's "victorious" resistance against the Israeli army in Lebanon and the growing influence of Iran in the Middle East, especially in Iraq, are leading to Sunni subordination towards Shiism to the extent that some Sunni circles fear possible "conversions" and have started to attack Tehran

Speaking on al-Jazeera, Saudi cleric Salman al-Awda said that Iran was exploiting the situation. "Given the presence of Shia political groups in Iraq after the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel in Lebanon, many Sunnis have conceived some kind of allegiance" to Shiism, which can "be exploited with money or job offers to encourage people to switch from Sunni Islam to Shia Islam".

This, according to the cleric, is especially true in Iraq because of Iran's assistance to local Shias. "Iran is interfering in Iraqi affairs. There are documents and evidence in that sense. Large amounts of money come into the country," he said, "not to mention the strong presence of Iran's secret services and its strong moral impact on Shia groups in Iraq."

This has "led to a significant shift in power relations that has encouraged death squads to engage in ethnic cleansing" at the expense of Iraqi Sunnis.

• saudi
• arabia
• iraq
• iran
• shia
• influence
• salman
• al-awda
• ethnic
• cleansing