b ala ▁or ▁trad ed ▁( and ▁interact ed ▁with ) ▁the ▁residents ▁of ▁the ▁two ▁cities . ▁ ▁Some ▁Sun ni ▁Arab ▁tribes ▁converted ▁to ▁protest ▁their ▁treatment ▁by ▁the ▁Sun ni ▁Ott om ans . ▁Sh ia ▁mission aries ▁from ▁Naj af ▁and ▁Kar b ala ▁operated ▁with ▁relative ▁freedom ▁from ▁the ▁Ott oman ▁Empire , ▁and ▁could ▁pros ely t ize ▁with ▁little ▁official ▁h ind rance . ▁ ▁The ▁convers ions ▁continued ▁into ▁the ▁ 2 0 th ▁century , ▁as ▁the ▁British ▁noted ▁in ▁ 1 9 1 7 . ▁Many ▁Ira qi ▁Sh ia ▁are ▁relatively - re cent ▁converts . ▁The ▁following ▁tribes ▁were ▁converted ▁during ▁this ▁period : ▁some ▁of ▁the ▁Z uba id , ▁Ban u ▁Lam , ▁al ▁bu ▁Muhammad , ▁many ▁of ▁the ▁Rab iah ▁( including ▁al - D af af ' a , ▁B ani ▁Am ir ▁and ▁al - J agh ay fa ), ▁Ban u ▁Tam im ▁( including ▁the ▁B ani ▁Sa ’ d , ▁their ▁largest ▁group ▁in ▁Ira q ), ▁the ▁Sh am mar ▁T oga , ▁some ▁of ▁the ▁D ula im , ▁the ▁Z af ir , ▁the ▁Daw war , ▁the ▁S aw ak in , ▁the ▁al - M unta fi q ▁conf eder ation , ▁the ▁B ani ▁Has an ▁( of ▁the ▁B ani ▁Mal ik ), ▁the ▁B ani ▁H uk ay y im , ▁the ▁Sh ibil ▁of ▁the ▁Kh az al , ▁the ▁al ▁F at