Profile Books Ltd The House Divided Sunni, Shia and the Making of the Middle East.

by Barnaby Rogerson

The House Divided Sunni, Shia and the Making of the Middle East ABISBOOK Profile Books Ltd.

448 pages, Paperback

Published February 27, 2025

About the author

Barnaby Rogerson (1960-) is a British author, television presenter and publisher. He has written extensively about the Muslim world, including a biography of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, and numerous travel guides. Rogerson was born in Dunfermline, Scotland, and studied Medieval History at St Andrews University

Reviews

[Dants · Rating 2 out of 5]

Up to page 32, no sources are provided. It reads as if the author simply made up the story, or perhaps based it on interviews. Considering he studied history at a university, this is an amateurish mistake.
There are also contradictions with other authors, such as Tom Holland, who states in his book that before Islam there is no historical significance attributed to Mecca, while this book claims that Mecca was already a well-established and important city.

Now, 150 pages in:
It feels more like a general history of the Islamic world—specifically the Middle East—with some elements of Shia and Sunni, but mostly a history of countries. I would have liked to read what made the Persians adopt Shia Islam and what influence the Mongols had on that. The Mongols appear in the narrative but disappear again just as quickly. I’m getting a crash course, but I’m not really seeing how this ties into the title of the book. Still, it’s refreshing to read about topics I hadn’t heard of before, such as the major battle between the Ottomans and the Safavids.
The lack of proper source citation remains a serious issue. There are also some printing errors here and there, such as sentences that don’t start with capital letters.

What about the rise of nationalism in the West and its impact on the East? Many Muslims visited the West and learnt some things from France and other nations after the invasion of Napoleon.

At around page 220, it becomes clear that the scope of this book is far too broad to be enjoyable. There is so much going on, and it’s unclear how all of it relates to the idea of a “house divided.” Yes, the confrontations between Iran and Saudi Arabia are relevant, but many other geopolitical developments are included as well—Qatar, Egypt, Morocco, Libya? Where is Libya in this narrative? The scope is simply too wide and the focus far too diffuse.
Why not focus on what makes an Ismaili an Ismaili, or an Alawi an Alawi? It’s frustrating: the elements are there, but the final result doesn’t come together.

I ended up skipping many chapters. It became irritating to read. I only wanted to understand the religion and the divisions among the people. Why am I reading about the Syrian civil war or the divided Yemen? Yes, these issues are related, but the book goes into such detail about contemporary geopolitics and different countries that the focus becomes far too broad. It’s simply not to my taste.

There are nice and good information in the book, the scope is too broad and just too confusing for my liking.

[Ruben Fuchs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Incisive and deeply informative account of the Middle East, a region marked by relentless conflict, yet also the cradle of civilisation and extraordinary cultural richness. With remarkable clarity and narrative ease, Roger Barnaby demonstrates how religion has repeatedly been instrumentalised by ruthless power, whether through divisions within Islam (‘The House Divided’ between Sunni and Shia) or the interventions of British and later American imperialism. Essential read for anyone seeking to understand today’s complex political landscape in the Middle East. RF