Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve had a diverse work experience, having taught political science, and worked as a journalist and UN official. My interest in sectarianism in the Arab world grew from my work as a journalist covering Middle Eastern and Iraqi affairs and as a UN official in Iraq. Working in Iraq following the 2003 US-led invasion, I witnessed firsthand how the sectarian violence that gripped Iraq highlighted the failure of social integration in nurturing a national identity. Scholarly work on sectarianism in the region was focused on Lebanon. In addressing this scholarly gap, I combined my academic training in political science, extensive knowledge of Islamic history, and decades-long fieldwork and life experiences in the region.


I wrote

Sectarianism in Iraq: The Making of State and Nation Since 1920

By Khalil F. Osman,

Book cover of Sectarianism in Iraq: The Making of State and Nation Since 1920

What is my book about?

This study addresses the failure to resolve inherent tensions between sectarian identities and concepts of unified statehood and uniform citizenry…

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of The Succession to Muhammad: A Study of the Early Caliphate

Khalil F. Osman Why did I love this book?

A lot has been written about the origins of the sectarian Sunni-Shi’ite divide. Most writings by Muslims are written from a polemical perspective preoccupied with defending an established sectarian position and refuting counter sectarian narratives. Western scholarly writings rarely delve into the question of the origins of this rift in sufficient detail. Wilfred Madelung’s book provides a painstakingly dispassionate and thorough narrative of the events and disputes surrounding the succession to Prophet Muhammad and the reign of the four “Rightly-Guided Caliphs” (al-Khulafa’ al-Rashidun) which mark the beginnings of the Sunni-Shi’ite rift. Madelung deploys his immensely impressive knowledge of the sources, including classical Arabic chronicles and poetry, as well as Western sources in various languages (English, German, French, and Italian). Madelung’s is a remarkable work of fine and rigorous scholarship.

By Wilferd Madelung,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Succession to Muhammad as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In a comprehensive study of early Islamic history, Wilferd Madelung examines the conflict which developed after Muhammad's death for the leadership of the Muslim community. He pursues the history of this conflict through the reign of the four 'Rightly Guided' caliphs to its climax in the first inter-Muslim war. The outcome of the war, which marked the demise of the reign of the Early Companions, resulted in the lasting schism between Sunnite and Shi'ite Islam. Contrary to recent scholarly trends, the author brings out Ali's early claim to legitimate succession, which gained support from the Shi'a, and offers a convincing…


Book cover of Understanding 'Sectarianism': Sunni-Shi'a Relations in the Modern Arab World

Khalil F. Osman Why did I love this book?

Fanar Haddad offers his readers a novel analysis of sectarianism in the Arab world – a topic that has been receiving increasing attention in academic research on the region. Haddad provides a deep theoretical analysis of the concept of sectarianism. He shows that sectarian identity, like all identities, is multi-dimensional and multi-layered, operating on various levels: religious, subnational, national, and transnational. He aptly demonstrates that sectarian identities are contextual; they are constantly negotiated through interactions within, and conversations with, a socio-political setting and the relentless flux of historical change. Haddad devotes a full chapter to the question of sectarian identity and the contestation of the state in Iraq between 2003 and 2018. Haddad’s analysis is indispensable for understanding the various dimensions of the problem of sectarianism in the Middle East.

By Fanar Haddad,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Understanding 'Sectarianism' as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

'Sectarianism' is one of the most over-discussed yet under-analysed concepts in debates about the Middle East. Despite the deluge of commentary, there is no agreement on what 'sectarianism' is. Is it a social issue, one of dogmatic incompatibility, a historic one or one purely related to modern power politics? Is it something innately felt or politically imposed? Is it a product of modernity or its antithesis? Is it a function of the nation-state or its negation?
This book seeks to move the study of modern sectarian dynamics beyond these analytically paralysing dichotomies by shifting the focus away from the meaningless…


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Book cover of Sufferance

Sufferance by Charles Palliser,

This is a novel about choices. How would you have chosen to act during the Second World War if your country had been invaded and occupied by a brutal enemy determined to isolate and murder a whole community?

That’s the situation facing an ordinary family man with two children, a…

Book cover of Sectarian Politics in the Persian Gulf

Khalil F. Osman Why did I love this book?

Lawrence Porter’s book is a remarkably impressive collection of case studies on sectarianism on both sides of the Persian Gulf written by area specialists, historians, and social scientists. The studies are rich in details and thoroughly researched. The book’s geographical breadth is an advantage, ensuring comprehensiveness. It allows for comparative analysis and the drawing of cross-national conclusions that account for similarities and differences in how sectarianism plays out in various national settings throughout the Persian Gulf region. The book also has a chapter that examines sectarianism in Yemen and two studies on the overlap between ethnic and sectarian identities in the region: one on the Baluch community in the Gulf; the other on Iran’s ethnic, religious, and tribal minorities.

By Lawrence G. Potter (editor),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Sectarian Politics in the Persian Gulf as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Long a taboo topic, as well as one that has alarmed outside powers, sectarian conflict in the Middle East is on the rise. The contributors to this book examine sectarian politics in the Persian Gulf, including the GCC states, Yemen, Iran and Iraq, and consider the origins and con- sequences of sectarianism broadly construed, as it affects ethnic, tribal and religious groups. They also present a theoretical and comparative framework for understanding sectarianism, as well as country-specific chapters based on recent research in the area. Key issues that are scrutinised include the nature of sectarianism, how identity moves from a…


Book cover of The Occupation of Iraq: Winning the War, Losing the Peace

Khalil F. Osman Why did I love this book?

Ali Allawi has served as minister in several cabinets in post-2003 Iraq. His book provides fascinating insider details on the chaotic world of politics that pushed post-Saddam Iraq into an inferno of sectarianism, insurgency, terrorism, and incessant political crises. Allawi’s definitive history of the invasion of Iraq and its immediate aftermath is rich in detail, insightful in its observations, and candid and dispassionate in its analysis. The book leaves the reader with a sense of foreboding about the ability of Iraqi leaders to extricate the country from the vicious cycle of crises it has lurched into since 2003. Above all, this is a narrative of the agonies of a fragmented nation, devoid of a unifying collective identity, mired in political stalemate, burdened by the past, and unsure about its future.

By Ali A. Allawi,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Occupation of Iraq as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A comprehensive account of the occupation of Iraq and the crises that have followed in its wake, told for the first time by an Iraqi insider

Involved for over thirty years in the politics of Iraq, Ali A. Allawi was a long-time opposition leader against the Baathist regime. In the post-Saddam years he has held important government positions and participated in crucial national decisions and events. In this book, the former Minister of Defense and Finance draws on his unique personal experience, extensive relationships with members of the main political groups and parties in Iraq, and deep understanding of the…


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Book cover of A Daily Dose of Now: 365 Mindfulness Meditation Practices for Living in the Moment

A Daily Dose of Now by Nita Sweeney,

Reduce stress, ease anxiety, and increase inner peace—one day at a time—with a year of easy-to-follow mindfulness meditation techniques.

Certified mindfulness teacher, bestselling author, ultramarathoner, wife, and dog-mom Nita Sweeney shares mindfulness meditation practices to help anyone break free from worry and self-judgment.

Mindfulness meditation trains you to live in…

Book cover of The Culture of Sectarianism: Community, History, and Violence in Nineteenth-Century Ottoman Lebanon

Khalil F. Osman Why did I love this book?

Drawing on a vast array of primary archival sources and secondary writings, Ussama Makdisi provides an original analytical historical account of the origins of sectarianism in Lebanon. He traces the roots of the atavistic sectarian violence that gripped Ottoman Mount Lebanon in 1860. His narrative refutes widespread arguments making a case for the primordial nature of sectarian identities in Lebanon. Instead, he argues that sectarianism in Lebanon is a byproduct of modernity and modernization. Makdisi shows that sectarianism in Lebanon is a modern nineteenth-century phenomenon linked to the confluence of various historical developments, including the introduction of Ottoman reforms known as Tanzimat, diffusion of European ideas of nationalism, the Ottoman Empire’s integration into the world capitalist market, and colonial meddling in the internal affairs of the Sick Man of Europe.

By Ussama Makdisi,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Culture of Sectarianism as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Focusing on Ottoman Lebanon, Ussama Makdisi shows how sectarianism was a manifestation of modernity that transcended the physical boundaries of a particular country. His study challenges those who have viewed sectarian violence as an Islamic response to westernization or simply as a product of social and economic inequities among religious groups. The religious violence of the nineteenth century, which culminated in sectarian mobilizations and massacres in 1860, was a complex, multilayered, subaltern expression of modernization, he says, not a primordial reaction to it. Makdisi argues that sectarianism represented a deliberate mobilization of religious identities for political and social purposes. The…


Explore my book 😀

Sectarianism in Iraq: The Making of State and Nation Since 1920

By Khalil F. Osman,

Book cover of Sectarianism in Iraq: The Making of State and Nation Since 1920

What is my book about?

This study addresses the failure to resolve inherent tensions between sectarian identities and concepts of unified statehood and uniform citizenry since the establishment of the modern Iraqi nation-state in 1921. I trace the deepening of sectarian solidarities despite the adoption of homogenizing policies by the state. I examine how Sunni-Shi’ite interactions in Iraq cultivated divergent collective memories of victimization and shaped dynamics of inclusion and exclusion favorable to Sunni Arabs before 2003 and to Shi’ites in the post-2003 period. The injection of hegemonic communal discourses into the educational curriculum provoked masked forms of resistance that undermined the homogenizing utility of education. I also examine the debate over federalism in the post-2003 period and show how it encapsulates the fragmentation of collective identity in Iraq.

Book cover of The Succession to Muhammad: A Study of the Early Caliphate
Book cover of Understanding 'Sectarianism': Sunni-Shi'a Relations in the Modern Arab World
Book cover of Sectarian Politics in the Persian Gulf

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