Arab tribes of Iraq

Many Iraqi Arabs identify strongly with a tribe (العشيرة 'ashira). 30 of the 150 or so identifiable tribes of Iraq are the most influential. They are grouped into federations (قبيلة qabila). Within the tribe, there is the clan (الفخذ fukhdh), the house (البيت beit) and the extended family (الخمس khams). Tribes are led by sheikhs (شيخ sheykh) who represent the tribe and deal with its domestic affairs. Due to the large sizes of Iraq's tribes, an individual may belong to the Shammar tribe, but also the Aslam branch within the same tribe, and therefore can identify with both. Many Arabs identify more strongly with their family and tribe than their national or religious affiliation. There are around 150 major tribes in Iraq, to which 75% of the total Iraqi population belong.^[1]

On its accession to power in the 17 July Revolution of 1968, Iraq's Ba'ath Party announced its opposition to tribalism ( القبلية ''al-qabaliyya''), although for pragmatic reasons, especially during the Iran–Iraq War, tribalism was sometimes tolerated and even encouraged.