11.   There is a large Shiite population there.

12.   While no one has taken responsibility for the shooting, Hangu has a large Shiite population and militant members of the two sects have clashed in the past.

13.   According to western estimates, the Shiite population of the Gulf archipelago outnumbers the Sunnis, who hold the strings of power.

14.   The US embassy advised Americans to avoid areas with a heavily Shiite population, and foreigners were shunning public places for fear of attacks.

15.   Washington, London and Paris say the no-fly zone is aimed at protecting the Shiite population in the region from Saddam, a Sunni Moslem.

16.   Saudi Arabia has come under international criticism for suppressing the rights of its minority Shiite population, which is accuses of fomenting civil unrest.

17.   SAIRI charged in March that the Iraqi army was carrying out a huge offensive in the region, using chemical weapons on the Shiite population.

18.   Shiite villages have been the focus of demonstrations and clashes between the mainly Sunni Moslem authorities and the poorer majority Shiite population, who are calling for political reforms.

19.   Senior figures in the Taliban leadership have so far been unclear over their intentions for imposing the strict laws on the minority Shiite population.