Al-Muntafiq

Al-Muntafiq (Arabic: المنتفق) was a large Arab tribal confederation and semi-centralized Emirate of southern Iraq and Kuwait. The confederation's tribes predominantly settled in Iraq's southern provinces and northern Kuwait. The confederation is not homogeneous in terms of sect/religion. Sociopolitical conditions and intermingling created a mix of Sunni and Shia tribes, with Shiites becoming predominant by the late 18th or early 19th century. Therefore, a minority of individual tribes within the confederation are Sunni - most notably the leading Al Sadun clan whom are centered in Iraq but have also settled in smaller portion in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait (an example being Kuwaiti speaker of the National Assembly, Ahmed Al-Sadoun). Overall, it is almost impossible to delineate who is, and who is not part of the Muntafiq given that the confederation ceased to have political recognition as the Ottoman empire came to an end, and British rule ended tribal power for the establishment of a central monarchy. The Iraqi state today recognizes tribal chiefs based on their individual tribes, not based on their affiliation with the historical confederation. Accordingly, there is little incentive to document and trace historical relationship to the Muntafiq.