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The piece describes how anti‑Shia bias exists as a structural and often unconscious form of prejudice within many Sunni‑majority Muslim communities in the Western diaspora. It draws on the author’s personal experiences to show how Shia Muslims can face microaggressions, exclusion, and erasure in mosques, student groups, relationships, and broader Muslim spaces — where Sunni norms are treated as the default and Shia practices and history are marginalised. The author argues that this anti‑Shiʿism operates like a form of privilege, causing harm even when unintended, and stresses that genuine unity requires recognising and valuing sectarian diversity rather than forcing minority communities to conform.
The piece describes how anti‑Shia bias exists as a structural and often unconscious form of prejudice within many Sunni‑majority Muslim communities in the Western diaspora. It draws on the author’s personal experiences to show how Shia Muslims can face microaggressions, exclusion, and erasure in mosques, student groups, relationships, and broader Muslim spaces — where Sunni norms are treated as the default and Shia practices and history are marginalised. The author argues that this anti‑Shiʿism operates like a form of privilege, causing harm even when unintended, and stresses that genuine unity requires recognising and valuing sectarian diversity rather than forcing minority communities to conform.