Many Iraqi Arabs identify strongly with a tribe (çÃÂùôÃÂñé <nowiki>'</nowiki>ashira). 30 of the 150 or so identifiable tribes of Iraq are the most influential. They are grouped into federations (ÃÂèÃÂÃÂé qabila). Within the tribe, there is the clan (çÃÂÃÂîð fukhdh), the house (çÃÂèÃÂê beit) and the extended family (çÃÂîàó khams). Tribes are led by sheikhs (ôÃÂî 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. There are hundreds of Arab tribes across Iraq from the north to the south.
On its accession to power in the 17 July Revolution of 1968, Iraq's Ba'ath Party announced its opposition to tribalism ( çÃÂÃÂèÃÂÃÂé <nowiki></nowiki>al-qabaliyya<nowiki></nowiki>), although for pragmatic reasons, especially during the IranâÂÂIraq War, tribalism was sometimes tolerated and even encouraged.
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