Their faces are known to many Muslims, even in the west (due to translations), yet what many don’t know, some very famous and influental individuals in the arab world (only in the gulf area) are of Persian/Iranian origin. Of course, for us as Muslims, the origin of a fellow Muslim or even a fellow non-Muslim does not matter at all, we merely want to show the significance of the Persian Sunnah community in the Arab world, who only left their country (most are Persians from the “Fars” province of south Iran, who left Iran during, or after the presecution of the Rafidite-Safavids) due to Anti-Sunni policies of the Safawi (Sunnis had to pay more texes etc.)

(Note: The following individuls are NOT Iranian citizens, in fact they ascribe themselves to their new countries like Saudi Arabia, Kuweit, Bahrain, Qatar, UAE etc. for after all they were born there, and in most cases their families emigrated to arab countries over 400 years ago i.e. after the Rafidite-Shi’ite-Safavid invasion of Persia i.e. south Iran, their homeland).

1.

محمد العوضي _ داعية اسلامي كويتي من قرية اوز في اقليم فارس الرائعة

Mohammad Al-Awadhi – Islamic Sunnah preacher from Kuweit, originally from the Persian city of Evaz/Avaz (hence “Awadhi” in arabic) in south Iran (until today this city is mainly purely Persian and Sunni).

2.

نبيل العوضي ايضاً داعية و شيخ من الكويت

Nabil Al-Awadhi – Islamic Sunnah scholar from Kuweit, he’s too originally Persian  from the Iranian Sunni city of Evaz/Avaz.

Nabil Al-Awadhi – Islamic Sunnah scholars from Kuweit, he’s too originally Persian  from the Iranian Sunni city of Evaz/Avaz.

3.

فهد الكندري – قارئ قرآن كريم و امام مسجد في الكويت

Fahd Al-Kandari – Famous Qur’an reciter and Imam of one of the grand mosques of Kuweit (Kandaris are known in the gulf of their Persian origin (some consider them of arab origin, though no one disagrees that theyhistorically heavily mixed with persians.).

4.

الطبيب الكويتي و الاستاذ بكلية الطب في جامعة الكويت احمد الكندري

 Ahmad Al-Kandari Famous Kuweiti GP (medic) and dean of medical studies of the Kuweiti University.

There are many more notables Persian Sunni individuals in the arab world (gulf region), for instance most Saudis with the family name “Al-Farsi” (or other Persian, non-arabic family names), or Persian Sunnis in Qatar.

(Note: The “Huwala” are ARAB Iranians from south (Hormozgan province) of Iran. They live in Iran for centuries, even before the arrival of Islam. They are Iranians and part of Iran, yet some confuse the SUNNI PERSIAN of the FARS province of Iran with the Huwala, even though the Huwala are arabs from the arabian peninsula who migrated to Iran, whereas the famous Persian Sunni families (like Bastaki, Evazi, Kookherdy, are all of Persian/Lor origin, hailing from the FARS province of Iran

Other prominent Sunni Persian families in the Arab Gulf states who are usually categorized as Huwala include:

• Kooheji family from Kohej
• Janahi family from Jenah
• Kanoo family
• Khonji family of Khonj
• Bastaki family of Bastak
• Fekri family (also spelled as Fikree)
• Al Awadhi family of Ahvaz
• Abbasi family (see also House of Al Khan)
• Al Moayyed family (namesake of the Almoayyed Tower)
• Zainal family
• Foolath family
• Galadari family of Galadar

).

More on famous Persian Sunni families INSIDE Iran, click here.