Shia Islam in Algeria


Shia Islam in Algeria is composed of minority Shia Muslim community of Algeria.

History and culture

Traditionally, there have been very few Shias in Algeria, although they held a lot of political and military power in the middle ages. Western Algeria was part of Zaydi Shia Idrisid dynasty state when Idris II died in 828 CE. The Ismaili Shia Fatimid state originated among the Kutama people of Algeria. The dynasty was founded in 909 CE by Abdullah al-Mahdi Billah, who in the late 9th century started a movement among the Kutama Berbers and managed to convert many of them to Shia Islam alongside Arabs. In the Middle Ages local Berber dynasties adopted Shia Islam. According to Shia sources recently, the region has allegedly seen an increasing popular interest in Shia Islam.
The following Shia Muslim observances are commemorated in Algeria:
The Shia population of Algeria is estimated to be between one half to two percent of the total Muslim population of Algeria. According to Pew Forum, it is less than one percent while as per Imam Husayn Encyclopedia the population of Shia in Algeria is around two percent of the total Muslim population of Algeria.