In Shiite Islam, grief is not only personal but collective − expressed through rituals, pilgrimage and devotion to saints.
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Although the supreme leader assumes the majority of power, Iran’s regime consists of a network of governing bodies.
Media reports have cast the son of slain Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as a top candidate for supreme leader. A scholar of Iranian politics explains how the succession process has never been free or fair.
Khamenei was a deeply polarizing figure in Iran – perceived by some as a martyr and others as an oppressor.
A scholar of religious minorities and the Middle East explains the historical persecution and marginalization of the Alawite and Druze communities.
Aga Khan, the religious leader of the Ismailis – a sect of Islam – established the Aga Khan Foundation in 1967. It has served millions around the world since then.
The late President Ebrahim Raisi was supposedly being groomed to succeed an aging Ali Khamenei. The succession is a complex process, more dependent on politics than religion.
A variety of cultural performances evoking intense emotions occur during the Islamic month of Muharram. A scholar observed the processions on Ashoura in northern Tanzania.
With the Taliban again in power in Afghanistan, minorities like the Hazara may have the most to lose.
Day 3 of our Understanding Islam series. Many Muslims belong to one of two sects of Islam, which agree on most of the fundamentals of Islam but vary in others.
Day 4 of our Understanding Islam series. Knowing the historical contributions of Islam and its influence on other faiths can help counter many assumptions about the religion today.
Millions of Muslims travel to Karbala in Iraq for one of the largest annual pilgrimages. The pilgrimage has adapted and changed over its centuries-old history.
For Muslims, Ashura marks the martyrdom of the Prophet Muhammed’s grandson Hussain.
Trump recently tweeted about prayer rugs being left along the border. Many may not know the role and history of Muslim prayer rugs and why they are not likely to be left behind.
Hosay, a religious ritual performed by Trinidadian Muslims, combines the somber Islamic observance of Ashura, brought by immigrant Indians, and the joy of Trinidad’s famous carnival.
The West needs to push for local action against Islamic State’s reign of terror in the Middle East. States in the region must find solutions to the conflicts to bring peace and stability.
There are religious and non-religious extremists and we should not confuse violent believers with religion itself, which has a long history of peacemaking.
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Associate Professor of Politics and International Relations, Florida International University
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Associate Professor of Anthropology and Muslim Studies, Michigan State University
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Affiliate Researcher, Religion and Civic Culture Center, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences; Bayreuth University
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Visiting Adjunct Professor at Wits Business School, University of the Witwatersrand
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Assistant Professor of HIstory, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
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Assistant Professor of Religion, California Lutheran University
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Assistant Professor of Religious Studies, University of Alabama
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Associate Professor of Religious Studies, Florida International University
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Assistant Professor of Philanthropic Studies, Indiana University
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Professor and Director of the School of Politics and Global Studies, Arizona State University
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Research Fellow, Middle East Studies, Deakin University
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Professor of Religion, University of Mississippi