Talk:Sunni Region

@Najafite having an article using two names isn't a practiced policy on wikipedia, we have to use one name consistantly that must be a commonly used name in sources. Additionally, you may have also overmentioned the Sunni Region as being located in Iraq's western side. These includes:

By now, the reader should know that the Sunni Region is located in western Iraq.

GuesanLoyalist (talk) 05:43, 17 January 2026 (UTC)

Sorry I forgot to finish my message, please wait for more information to come GuesanLoyalist (talk) 05:43, 17 January 2026 (UTC)

Alright, now finished with my comment. GuesanLoyalist (talk) 05:52, 17 January 2026 (UTC)

"West Iraq" is another name for the federal region in general, it is used by more regionalist rather than strictly religious activists of the region. Najafite (talk) 00:10, 18 January 2026 (UTC)

If you check the sources, you would surely be able to see more mention of a Sunni Region rather then West Iraq. Wikipedia requests that editors must stick to one commonly used name rather then using multiple names as a means of simplifying things for our readers. GuesanLoyalist (talk) 00:18, 18 January 2026 (UTC)

West Iraq and Sunni Region are not perfect synonyms. Both names should be used as both are common names that reflect 2 different views of the autonomy (WP:NPOV), "Sunni Region" is the strictly religous one and "West Iraq" is the more cultural/Iraqi nationalist one that still highlights a primarily Iraqi-centric identity with the Iraqi state that is strong among people in the region, who formerly ruled the entire country. It is the preferred term when discussing tribal politics or De-Ba'athification, as it aligns with the region's history of national governance rather than just sectarianism. Simply "Sunni" is the easiest label to attach to the people of this region by Western sources but West Iraqi autonomy is much deeper than sect, as sect in this region is simply part of the broader separate cultural identity of the region. Wikipedia policy (specifically WP:NAMINGCRITERIA) suggests that if a group uses a specific term to describe themselves to avoid a "sectarian" label, that term should be given weight to maintain neutrality.Najafite (talk) 00:24, 18 January 2026 (UTC)

These are 2 names that represent 2 different priorities for the same region. That are easily reduced down to Sunni v Shia dynamics. Najafite (talk) 00:25, 18 January 2026 (UTC)

Hmm, we may need a compromise on the name change if this is going to turn into an argument

But for me, it may also be in violation of:

Concision – The title is not longer than necessary to identify the article's subject and distinguish it from other subjects.

If I have to say, we might have to consider contacting about the WikiProjects in relations to the Sunni Region, I'll go do it right now if I can. GuesanLoyalist (talk) 01:12, 18 January 2026 (UTC)

It is simply an alternate name that reflects a different view for causes of autonomy rather than simply the Sunni sect itself. I don't believe it should replace the title, but it should be shown in the infobox. I am open to further discussion. Najafite (talk) 03:29, 18 January 2026 (UTC)

While I do believe that "West Iraq" should be included as well, I also believe that

The Sunni Region (Arabic: الإقليم السني), also called the Arab-majority Sunni Region, or in secular usage as West Iraq (Arabic: غرب العراق),

Is already a sufficient place to place it in, otherwise we should simply make any reference be instead just the Sunni Region and make any mentions of a "Western Iraq" be about the location of the Sunni Region. GuesanLoyalist (talk) 03:52, 18 January 2026 (UTC)

The article and concept almost exclusively is refering to West Iraqis and their movement for regional autonomy rather than all Sunni Arabs of Iraq in general. The Sunni Arabs of Qadisiyah and Basra are not even mentioned once or considered in any of these proposals, these are all West Iraqi (Anbar, Saladin, Nineveh) autonomy proposals, despite the desert regions of some Southern provinces being Sunni Bedouin heartlands that are closely linked to Kuwait and Saudi Arabia and the city of Basra having an infamously targeted Sunni minority, they are treated as completely irelevant in these discussions. This article is about the creation of a West Iraqi federal entity for the Sunni Arabs in the region, rather than autonomy for all Sunni Arabs in Iraq. Najafite (talk) 08:35, 20 January 2026 (UTC)

However, the name "Sunni Region" is the most common term used to describe the movement and should remain the primary term to describe the proposal in this article. (WP:STATUSQUO) Najafite (talk) 08:56, 20 January 2026 (UTC)

We can't use two terms for most of the article and juggle around between them. Less people call the sunni region as "West Iraq". GuesanLoyalist (talk) 08:58, 20 January 2026 (UTC)

"Sunni Region" should remain the primary name, as it is the name of the proposed entity in West Iraq itself, but West Iraq should be retained in some areas to denote the shared region of these autonomy proposals. Najafite (talk) 09:01, 20 January 2026 (UTC)

I might need to get WP:3O to resolve this then. Let me do it myself if I can. GuesanLoyalist (talk) 09:05, 20 January 2026 (UTC)

I will wait until they arrive before continuing this discussion. Najafite (talk) 09:09, 20 January 2026 (UTC)

I will however note, due to the controversiality of the topic, the article has consistently had mixed biases by different contributers but heavily leaned toward an oppostion-led bias. I have attempted to clean this up and establish WP:NPOV for arguments for and against. What you may have misidentified as biased content is neutral quoting and rephrasing of statements said by various representatives of the ethnic and religious groups that the establishment of the region concerns, rather than biased content itself. (such as the Assyrian view of the region being a threat, and the Sunni view of the region being a constitutional right.) I will be making tweaks to the writing to make this much clearer. Najafite (talk) 09:13, 20 January 2026 (UTC)

If your going to refer to the Sunni Region as "West Iraq" then why not just move the page to that name as you mention of autonomy for the western provinces that had nothing to do with sunni islam?

When I searched up "west iraq" on google, All I saw was the geolocation of Iraq but when I searched up "Sunni Federal Region, more information started to show up about the proposed federal region for the sunnis of Iraq. So I think we should refer to it as the Sunni Region because of WP:COMMONNAME. GuesanLoyalist (talk) 08:56, 20 January 2026 (UTC)

"Sunni Region" is WP:COMMONNAME and the name of the main proposed entity itself. Najafite (talk) 10:42, 20 January 2026 (UTC)

What is the actual usage under dispute here? Is it in the first sentence, the infobox, or elsewhere? CMD (talk) 09:22, 20 January 2026 (UTC)

I believe it is the dispute that the cultural region that this proposal concerns (west Iraq) and the proposed federal entity itself (the Sunni Region) should be refered to by the same name throughout the article. I believe that both names should be used in the article. While GuesanLoyalist appears to believe in strictly using the plain sectarian term "Sunni Region" for all mentions of not just the federal region proposal, but the region of West iraq itself.Najafite (talk) 09:34, 20 January 2026 (UTC)

The usage in the entire article is what this dispute is based around.

Just to clarify, I'm not against the usage of the term "West Iraq" in general and even support it's appearance in the lead sentence. Rather that I would like for the topic in question to be solely refered to as the Sunni Region rather then West Iraq. GuesanLoyalist (talk) 09:39, 20 January 2026 (UTC)

Is there an agreement on what the topic of this article is? Are these terms official or descriptive? CMD (talk) 09:43, 20 January 2026 (UTC)

Descriptive, the Sunni Region isn't actually implemented as a Federal region of Iraq as the Kurdistan Region still remain the sole federal region. GuesanLoyalist (talk) 09:47, 20 January 2026 (UTC)

The name "Sunni Region" is unoffical but is the most common shorthand for Iraqi federal autonomy movements in western provinces. The name is not official but describes the proposal to an extent, although context is lost without mentioning the region of West Iraq itself and its distinct atributes that led to these proposals being widespread. Najafite (talk) 09:51, 20 January 2026 (UTC)

What is the region of West Iraq itself? Are there sources on this region that are not about the Sunni Region proposal? CMD (talk) 10:00, 20 January 2026 (UTC)

They are almost interchangeable. Sunni Region is a theoretical name that denotes only the proposed federal entity itself (which is why it should remain the article's title). West Iraq is slightly broader, refering to the federal entity proposal and the geographic regionwhere this proposal is taking place. It is the name for the region itself rather than the theoretical name of the proposed entity in the region. Najafite (talk) 10:03, 20 January 2026 (UTC)

This article is effectively about establishing a federal region in West Iraq. With Sunni Islam being the main distinguisher of the Sunni Arabs of West Iraq from other Iraqi Arabs but also functions as a simplification of motives for demands used by opposition. Najafite (talk) 10:19, 20 January 2026 (UTC)

Is there actually a defined geographic region or does it simply mean the western areas of Iraq? If it only exists politically than it is better to clearly identify the political meaning. CMD (talk) 10:24, 20 January 2026 (UTC)

It primarily only exists politically as a term for the regions inhabited by Iraqi Sunni Arabs. Najafite (talk) 10:27, 20 January 2026 (UTC)

Any other sources that uses "West Iraq" besides hudson? GuesanLoyalist (talk) 10:29, 20 January 2026 (UTC)

I don't think that wikipedia would allow using two name interchangeably. Instead, policies require one name to be used consistently for the entire article. GuesanLoyalist (talk) 10:28, 20 January 2026 (UTC)

The "Sunni Region" is not established, it is a concept in a region that has had multiple attempts for autonomy. Najafite (talk) 10:30, 20 January 2026 (UTC)

WP:COMMONNAME still applies in this case. GuesanLoyalist (talk) 10:31, 20 January 2026 (UTC)

I am not objecting to the name Sunni Region. But I am objecting that the broader regional term that encompasses the other similar Sunni autonomy proposals (not just the Sunni Region) shouldn't be removed. Najafite (talk) 10:32, 20 January 2026 (UTC)

I'm also not saying that "West Iraq" shouldn't be removed at all, but I do want "Sunni Region" as the consistent name being used for the article.

Also could we continue this conversation tomorrow? It's near bedtime for me right now

@Chipmunkdavis Pause that third opinion right now and keep writing it tomorrow, similar reason above. GuesanLoyalist (talk) 10:57, 20 January 2026 (UTC)

Then I don't see what I object to. If it remains in the opening sentence and infobox, there is no problem. But "Sunni Region" shouldn't awkwardly be placed onto concepts such as the Tikrit autonomy that predate or exist alongside the 4-governorate proposed autonomy arangement in west iraq. And when refering to strictly the cultural identity and claims of the people of the region (such as, in contrast with Assyrian claims and cultural distinctiveness to the south), "West Iraq" is the most neutral. Najafite (talk) 11:09, 20 January 2026 (UTC)

is a proposed semi-autonomous federal region of the Republic of Iraq that would encompass all Arab Sunni-majority governorates of the country. is listed in the article. Also, @Najafite did you actually find any sources (besides that one Hudson reference) refering to the Sunni Region as "West Iraq" and using them interchangibily? GuesanLoyalist (talk) 10:26, 20 January 2026 (UTC)

The topic is rarely covered in English, Hudson is one of the only few credible resources that have discussed this topic and used the term "West Iraq" as a neutral term for the region. Najafite (talk) 10:38, 20 January 2026 (UTC)

The article describes the establishment of a Sunni region in West Iraq. (Sunni refers to an ethnic group, Iraqi Sunni Arabs, defined by their religious sect, Sunni Islam) who live in the region of West Iraq which has a unique cultural heritage compared to non-Sunni areas of the country and intend to establish a federal region in the area. Najafite (talk) 09:43, 20 January 2026 (UTC)

• Sorry, I have lost track of the threading above. Perhaps if both are informal terms, and the meaning of West Iraq is fuzzy, there might be better terms for different parts of the body? If we want to say "the governates with a Sunni majority" for example, that may be clearer to readers. CMD (talk) 12:12, 20 January 2026 (UTC)

  I believe in WP:STATUSQUO, though to prevent confusion, I recommend using "Sunni Region" when describing the 4-governorate proposal, and "West Iraq" as a neutral geographic/cultural term for the area where the proposed Sunni Region and other autonomy movements in the area are proposed to be located, without using the term "Sunni Region" like it has been established or is a universal term for autonomy proposals in West Iraq. Najafite (talk) 12:27, 20 January 2026 (UTC)

  Problem is, did anybody else use the term "West Iraq" BESIDES the hudson institute? If so, it seems inappropriate to use sigificantly alongside the term "Sunni Region." Plus, I think that for Saladin's attempt to become the tikruit region can't fit under the term "west iraq" due to the governorate being located in the center/middle of Iraq. GuesanLoyalist (talk) 23:04, 20 January 2026 (UTC)

  I never called the Tikrit Region "West Iraq", it is stated that they sought to create a standalone Sunni Arab entity separate from broader West Iraq initiatives that include Anbar or Nineveh. Najafite (talk) 23:48, 20 January 2026 (UTC)

  I have already acknowledged that the term originated in the Hudson Institutue discussion and is a lesser used but neutral name. >The topic is rarely covered in English, Hudson is one of the only few credible resources that have discussed this topic and used the term "West Iraq" as a neutral term for the region. Najafite (talk) 23:51, 20 January 2026 (UTC)

  In order for a name to be commonly used, MULTIPLE sources must use said name. Although Hudson uses the term "West Iraq" and is a reliable source, you need to get multiple sources that also refers to the Sunni Region as "West Iraq" in order to reach the conclusion that it is WP:COMMONNAME enough to use for the entire article.

  Even if you plan to use the term "West Iraq" as a neutral term, you still have to refer to the topic as the Sunni Region. An popular example of this would be the article Qing Dynasty as even though the word "Dynasty" usually refers to a ruling family, the articles talks about the time where China was ruled under a monarchy. GuesanLoyalist (talk) 00:12, 21 January 2026 (UTC)

  "Sunni Region" is the topic of the article and should be the name used for most of the article. I have no objections to this. But the Sunni Region is in the region of West Iraq which has had other autonomy proposals, with the Sunni Region comprising all of West Iraq. Najafite (talk) 00:18, 21 January 2026 (UTC)

  Why not... add the sections on Proposed federal regions of Iraq within their respective headings intead? GuesanLoyalist (talk) 01:47, 21 January 2026 (UTC)

  I'm confused, what are we even debating? What exactly do you want to change in the article? Sunni Region is the proposal and common name, West Iraq is a secular alternate name and a name for the region the proposal and other Sunni propopsals are based in. Najafite (talk) 05:47, 21 January 2026 (UTC)

  I do not want the article to be renamed West Iraq, I want it to remain titled as Sunni Region. This article covers a common theme of the various Sunni federal autonomy proposals in the region of West Iraq, including a proposal that contains all of West Iraq. I am confused as to what exactly what we are debating now. What exactly do you want to remove/change? Najafite (talk) 05:55, 21 January 2026 (UTC)

  I was saying that the article shouldn't use both Sunni Region and West Iraq simultaneously together when referring to a sunni federal region, rather that we solely use the term Sunni Region instead. Here are some examples of over usage of the two terms in the article.

  • • -Sunni Arab population of western Iraq
    • -The most common proposal for the capital city of a West Iraqi Sunni Region
    • -Sunni federal region in West Iraq
    • -Sunni federal region in West Iraq nor the idea of a separ...
    • -an independent "Sunnistan" in West Iraq

@GuesanLoyalist That removes the context that all the regional proposals are West Iraqi. "Sunni Region" is political, while "West Iraq" is historical/geographic. It predates the political proposal. West Iraq is a place, Sunni Region is a modern political project in the place, the name is just a political shorthand for this proposal in particular, not a genuine regional identity itself. There are no "Sunni Regioners", only "West/Western Iraqis" who have proposed a Sunni Region. Najafite (talk) 06:20, 21 January 2026 (UTC)

Do you want to temporarily stop this conversation until CMD shares their opinions? We're wasting both of our times on this dispute. GuesanLoyalist (talk) 06:24, 21 January 2026 (UTC)

I agree, I will not continue this discussion until CMD proposes a compromise on how each name should be used as a term for the literal area that the proposals concern the governance of. As it appears that we agree on everything else. Najafite (talk) 06:34, 21 January 2026 (UTC)

I'm not seeing a clear need to use either term in many of these instances. In running prose a generic mention of "a Sunni region" should use lowercase "region", rather than repeating the name as a proper noun. "West" is a bit tricky as the region proposal per the infobox map stretches to the eastern border. There are a couple of instances of "Western Iraq", is this meaningfully different? CMD (talk) 12:29, 21 January 2026 (UTC)

So, a Sunni region should be the prefered term when refering to the topic in hand? GuesanLoyalist (talk) 21:23, 21 January 2026 (UTC)

It seems really contextual. A big issue is that "region" is a quite ambiguous term, so casual readers may benefit from distinguishing mentions of a "proposed federal region" from a generic region which has a large Sunni population. CMD (talk) 07:17, 22 January 2026 (UTC)

What if the article were restructured to focus on the broader region predominantly inhabited by Sunni Arabs, similar in approach to articles such as Assyrian homeland or Iraqi Kurdistan? The page could then present the region’s historical and political development in full, including major periods such as the Ba'athist, American Occupation and Islamic State era, while treating individual federal autonomy initiatives as distinct sections within that broader context. This would mirror the distinction between articles like Iraqi Kurdistan (the geographic and historical region) and Kurdistan Region (the formal political entity). Under this approach, the existing content would largely remain intact and would not require substantial alteration, but would instead be reorganized for greater clarity and context. Najafite (talk) 11:45, 22 January 2026 (UTC)

Articles about ill-defined regions face significant issues regarding defining scope and finding things to write that aren't SYNTH. The Iraqi Kurdistan article for example, is quite vague about its topic, duplicative in many places of Kurdistan Region, and uses a political map. However, if the article is mostly about Sunni Arabs in Iraq, then some sort of rework taking into account Sunni Islam in Iraq might provide that better clarity. Sunni Islam in Iraq does not seem to cover the current geographical distribution of those who identify as Sunni, something that would be rectified with information from here. CMD (talk) 13:34, 22 January 2026 (UTC)

Diyala region (the area seen in the map that is not concentrated in the west) is not a very prominent area for these proposals and has a substancial Kurdish population as well that limits its integration into any Sunni Federal Region. The region where Iraqi Sunni Arabs want autonomy are the Saladin, Anbar and Nineveh regions, which are the western regions of the country, which is where the acedemic secular term used by Hudson derives from. Najafite (talk) 11:49, 22 January 2026 (UTC)

Thanks that's helpful information. Are there other times when Saladin, Anbar, and Nineveh are treated as distinct from the rest of Iraq? CMD (talk) 13:35, 22 January 2026 (UTC)

Yes, the Sunni Triange describes the area that is the core urban centers of the region. Historically, they were part of the Baghdad Eyalet and Vilayet, separate from Basra in the south politically for centuries, while Nineveh was the Mosul Vilayet with stronger Turkish influence. Sectarian dynamics in the region were shaped by its contested rule under Safavid Iran, where Shi’a authority was weaker and conversion enforcement limited. During the Campaign of the Two Iraqs, western populations generally supported the Ottomans, contributing to their conquest of Baghdad and the consolidation of Ottoman rule over Arab Iraq. West Iraq remained closely tied to Baghdad, with Saladin province part of the Baghdad province until the 20th century. By the late 20th century, the region was a hub for secular education, state employment, and Arab socialist politics, heavily influenced by Egyptian-style politics. This formed the base for Ba’athist secular nationalism. Its urban centers contained a large share of Iraq’s pre-1991 middle class and produced many political and military leaders. Elites from West Iraq dominated state institutions for decades, effectively exercising minority rule over the rest of the country. However, to list these differences in an article would require multiple strong sources that links them all together, or it could be classified as SYNTH. Najafite (talk) 09:56, 24 January 2026 (UTC)