Umayyad caliphate – News, Research and Analysis – The Conversation

A banner with the image of Ali Khamenei during a memorial vigil in Tehran, Iran. Majid Saeedi/Getty Images

March 2, 2026

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s killing plays into Shiite Islam’s reverence for martyrs, but not for all Iranians

Eric Lob, Florida International University

Khamenei was a deeply polarizing figure in Iran – perceived by some as a martyr and others as an oppressor.

Shiite Muslims attend a mourning ritual during the Islamic month of Muharram, in the central shrine city of Karbala. Photo by Mohammed SAWAF / AFP) (Photo by MOHAMMED SAWAF/AFP via Getty Images

September 9, 2020

The largest contemporary Muslim pilgrimage isn’t the hajj to Mecca, it’s the Shiite pilgrimage to Karbala in Iraq

Edith Szanto, University of Alabama

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.

An image of Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who died on Oct. 26, 2019.. Department of Defense via AP

November 13, 2019

What is a caliph? The Islamic State tries to boost its legitimacy by hijacking a historic institution

Ken Chitwood, Concordia College New York

The Islamic State has appointed yet another ‘caliph’ after the death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. What is the idea behind the caliphate?

Syrian Christians and Muslims offer prayers for nuns held by rebels, at the Greek Orthodox Mariamiya Church in Damascus, Syria, in 2013. AP Photo

April 26, 2017

Syria’s forgotten pluralism and why it matters today

Andrea Duffy, Colorado State University

For many centuries, Syrian society has included people of many faiths – Sunni and Shi'i Muslims, Christians and Druze. This past is important to know to understand the present.

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