February 2014 Academic & Specialist Edinburgh University Press

The New Edinburgh Islamic Surveys

Twelver Shiism: Unity and Diversity in the Life of Islam, 632 to 1722 Andrew J. Newman

The New Edinburgh Islamic Surveys

Twelver Shiism: Unity and Diversity in the Life of Islam, 632 to 1722
Andrew J. Newman


As many as 40 different Shii groups existed in the 9th and 10th centuries; only 3 forms remain. Why is Twelver Shiism one of them? As the established faith in modern Iran, the majority faith in Iraq and areas in the Gulf and with its adherents forming sizeable minorities elsewhere in the region, it is arguably the most successful branch of Shiism.