Who Are the Shabak?
The Shabak are an ethnoreligious group native to the Nineveh Plains of northern Iraq, numbering approximately 200,000-500,000 (estimates vary significantly). They speak Shabaki, a Northwestern Iranian language related to Gorani and Hawrami, though many also speak Kurdish and Arabic. The Shabak practice a syncretic religion that incorporates elements of Shia Islam, Sufi mysticism, and pre-Islamic beliefs. Their religious practices and distinct identity have often made them targets of persecution. The 2014 ISIS invasion of northern Iraq caused massive displacement and devastation to Shabak communities.
Syncretic Religion
Shabak religion defies easy categorization. While officially considered Shia Muslims by Iraqi authorities, Shabak religious practice incorporates elements that distinguish them from mainstream Islam. They venerate twelve imams like Shia Muslims but also revere figures from Sufi orders. Their religious leaders (pirs and murshids) transmit teachings through hierarchical spiritual lineages. Some practices echo pre-Islamic traditions of the region. Animal sacrifice, pilgrimage to specific shrines, and distinctive ceremonies characterize Shabak worship. This religious distinctiveness—neither fully Sunni nor conventional Shia—has historically marginalized them among their neighbors.
Between Kurds and Arabs
The Shabak occupy a complex position between Kurdish and Arab identities in Iraq. Their language is Iranian (like Kurdish) but distinct. Geographically, they live in contested territory between the Kurdistan Region and Arab-dominated Nineveh. Kurdish parties have claimed Shabak as Kurds; Arab nationalist and Sunni parties have pressured them to identify as Arabs. The Shabak themselves hold diverse opinions—some emphasize Kurdish connections, others Arab, and many insist on distinct Shabak identity. This political positioning amid Iraq's ethnic conflicts has made the Shabak vulnerable to both sides' pressures.
Contemporary Shabak
Modern Shabak face existential challenges following ISIS's 2014 assault on the Nineveh Plains. Many Shabak villages were destroyed or occupied; thousands fled to the Kurdistan Region. Mass atrocities targeted Shabak alongside Yazidis and Christians. Post-ISIS return has been slow and incomplete—destroyed infrastructure, insecurity, and political uncertainty impede rebuilding. Many Shabak have emigrated permanently. Those remaining struggle to rebuild communities, maintain cultural practices, and secure political representation in Iraq's fragmented system. How this syncretic community survives displacement and destruction shapes whether Shabak presence on the Nineveh Plains continues.
References
- Leezenberg, M. (1997). \"Between Assimilation and Deportation: The Shabak and the Kakais in Northern Iraq\"
- Açıkyıldız, B. (2010). The Yezidis: The History of a Community, Culture and Religion
- Human Rights Watch. (2009). \"On Vulnerable Ground: Violence against Minority Communities in Nineveh Province\"