The killing of Iran's supreme leader and ensuing Middle East instability could revive sectarian clashes and see religion emerge as a mobilizing tool.

What is Shia Islam? From the succession dispute after Prophet Muhammad to Karbala, sects and global communities, here is how ...

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei died in the bombing of Iran over the weekend. Vali Nasr of Johns Hopkins University talks about Khamenei's role as one of the most influential Shia clerics in the world.

What is an Ayatollah and how does the Shia clerical hierarchy work? Here's how Iran's religious system shapes political power and the role of the Supreme Leader ...

From Egypt to Pakistan, the sectarian geography shows that US-Israeli strikes on Tehran are more than a bilateral conflict.

An ancient religious divide is helping fuel a resurgence of conflicts in the Middle East and Muslim countries. Struggles between Sunni and Shia forces have fed a Syrian civil war that threatens to ...

Although a minority, Indian Shias maintained cultural influence through connections with ruling dynasties, balancing local ...