Shafaq News- Basra

Unknown gunmen targeted a hussainiya, a Shiite religious congregation hall, linked to supporters of Sheikhi leader Alaa Sheikh Mujtaba, with a sound bomb on Tuesday in the Al-Madinah district, north of Basra province, according to local security sources.

The incident comes amid rising tensions within the Sheikhi sect, a Shiite religious community whose leadership traditionally follows hereditary succession. In recent months, the sect has split sharply after the emergence of two rival religious authorities, each claiming legitimacy as the community’s highest reference, a dispute that has escalated into armed confrontations and deadly violence.

On Saturday, a security source told our agency that gunmen also attacked a mosque affiliated with Sheikh Alaa Sheikh Mujtaba in the same district, killing two people and wounding five others.

Security forces quickly moved to the scene, imposed a tight cordon around the mosque and surrounding area, and launched an investigation, the source said.

About the Sheikhi Sect

Founded in the 18th century by Ahmad bin Zayn al-Din al-Ahsa’I, the Sheikhi sect —known locally in Iraq as the Hasawiya— is a school of thought closely related to Twelver Shiism. The name Hasawiya refers to Al-Ahsa in eastern Saudi Arabia, from where the founder traveled to Karbala before establishing a following that later settled in Basra.

Basra remains the main center of the Sheikhi presence in Iraq, where historical accounts indicate the community has existed for more than 200 years. Population estimates vary, with some sources placing the number at more than 250,000. Parliamentary representative Amer Al-Fayez has said the figure could reach one million, mainly concentrated in Basra, with smaller communities in Karbala and Diyala province.