From the war against ISIS a decade back to the American-Israeli attack on Iran in 2026, the Battle of Karbala fought in 680 CE continues to shape how resistance, sacrifice, and justice are understood across the Shia world
Rabbi Benjamin of Tudela documented the flourishing Jewish life under the Abbasid Empire during Islam’s Golden Age, highlighting the stark contrast between the prosperity of Jews in Baghdad compared to their persecution in Europe, centuries before the rise of the Zionist movement disrupted historical Jewish-Muslim coexistence
Indonesia’s top political leadership, including the then President Joko Widodo, attended the inauguration of Garuda Vishnu Kencana, the world’s tallest Hindu statue, in September 2018, reaffirming the state’s backing and across-the-board consensus of upholding diversity in the most populous Muslim nation
Adam’s Peak, a symbol of Sri Lanka’s rich cultural heritage and diversity, is a shared sacred Buddhist, Hindu, Christian, and Muslim site, making it a unique beacon of communal harmony, greater understanding, and respect among communities and a source for social cohesion
What makes The Other Side of the Divide an impressive read is that it combines a literary extraction of experience with years of reading to produce a nonfiction work that has elements of travel, history, conversation, and journalistic observation
The Iraqi clergy took a leading role in defeating ISIS by employing religious symbolism as Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani issued a fatwa urging men to resist and led to a surge in volunteers for the Popular Mobilisation Force
Zainab bint Ali witnessed first-hand her brother Imam Hussain’s bravery in the Battle of Karbala, upholding Islam’s foundational ideals of egalitarianism and justice, refused to be silenced, challenged tyrant Yazid in his court and played a key role in memorializing her family’s sacrifice with resilience and eloquence, symbolising strength and defiance against tyranny
Mukhayyam al Husayni Mosque, over 400 metres from Imam Hussain’s shrine, stands at what is believed to be the site of the encampment of the Prohet’s grandson and his family during the Battle of Karbala
The Inter-linked events lead to peaceful German unification as well but my fascination has been not linked to that alone but also to deep admiration for Germans for their rise literally from the ashes along with Japan post-Second World War
The strength people drew from Prophet Muhammad’s grandson Imam Hussain, who laid down his life fighting an unjust ruler in the seventh century, played a key role in seeing Iraqis through in the war on ISIS
