I was told to pose this question here as I initially went for ELI5.
So i finally decided to get off my arse and actually try and understand the mess which is going on in the Middle East, however, one major question did rear it's head and I'm hoping people can give me a hand. So as I understand it (VERY limited) Sunni Muslims believe that the Caliph should be passed to the one who has the most experience and/or who is elected to rule and this is why Abu-bakr was appointed Caliph. Shia Islam states that only God can appoint the Caliph and as Muhammad was chosen, so was his line, and therefore the Caliph should be succeeded to Ali, his closest relative. So the ELI5 part comes in here, how exactly did it come to be that there are Sunni Monarchies? If we are talking Bloodline succession then surely the Shia would be more predisposed to supporting a Royal Family? where as Sunnis would prefer an elected Government?
Obviously asking from a historical point of view and how we got to where we are now, not about events since 1994 in that region, the 'House of Saud' I believe is Sunni for example, and has been around since the 18th century.
Thanks. (and sorry for the ignorant rambling)
I cannot say much as to the difference between Sunni and Shia monarchies, but I can tell you that monarchy itself does not have as long roots in the Arab world as one might think.
Although the practice of hereditary succession and absolutist personal rule has long traditions in the Middle East, few of the remaining monarchies in the region have a history stretching back more than a century. The Arabic title malik, which is the term most commonly translated to king, had largely negative connotations in the region before the twentieth century. As detailed by Lewis (2000), kingship was generally considered un-Islamic – almost secular – and contrasted with the religiously sanctioned caliphate. This had changed by the early twentieth century, when Sharif Hussein declared himself king of the Hijaz in 1916. The title was chosen in order to emulate European monarchs, who since the expansion of western imperial power into the Middle East in the nineteenth century had been held in increasingly high regard, as “symbols of potency and high standing” (Ayalon, 2000:25).
Thus, to some extent, monarchy in Sunni Islam (at least as in the twentieth century) can be seen as inspired by the west - and Britain in particular.
References:
Lewis, B. (2000): "Monarchy in the Middle East". In: Kostiner, J. (ed.), Middle East Monarchies: The Challenge of Modernity. Boulder, Lynne Rienner Publishers, page 15-22.
Ayalon, A. (2000): "Post-Ottoman Arab Monarchies: Old Bottles, New Labels". In: Kostiner, J. (ed.), Middle East Monarchies: The Challenge of Modernity. Boulder, Lynne Rienner Publishers, page 23-36.