Nathan Gonzalez
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Jabal Amil: A hilly region of mostly-Shia south Lebanon.
Jafar al-Sadiq (702-765): An Islamic scholar and Sixth Shia Imam, Jafar al-Sadiq's is held in high regard across sects.
jihad ("struggle"): Among the most controversial of Islamic terms, jihad refers to a struggle, be it military, juridical, or spiritual. More recently, the term "offensive jihad" has been often used to denote a military struggle against perceived occupiers or apostates.
July 2006 War: A military conflict between Israel and the Lebanese Hezbollah lasting 34 days. It was initiated by a small-scale Hezbollah military incursion into Israel, and followed by Israeli air strikes and Hezbollah rocket attacks. In is perceived by some in the Arab world as the first Arab military victory against Israel, although the conflict ended in a UN-mediated cease-fire.
Justinian I (483-565): Christian Roman Emperor engaged in military conflicts with Zoroastrian Iran and its Jewish proxies.
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Ka'ba: A cubic sanctuary in Mecca, the Ka'ba is the holiest site in Islam.
kafir: Arabic term for infidel, or apostate.
Karbala: Holy Shia city in southern Iraq and site of the Battle of Karbala of 680, fought between the armies of Sunni caliph Yazid and Shia Imam Husayn. Husayn's martyrdom in that battle is the basis for the Shia commemoration of Ashoura.
Kata'ib ("Phalanges"): A working-class Lebanese Christian militia movement, founded by the Pierre Gemayel.
Khamene'i , Ali (b. 1939): Iranian ayatollah, former president, and current supreme leader of Iran.
Kharijites: Refers to a now nearly defunct sect of Islam that is known for abandoning Ali ibn Abi Talib's command during the first fitna, or Muslim civil war due to their rejection of Ali's acceptance of arbitration during the Battle of Siffin (657). A Kharijite is believed to have killed Ali for what Kharijites perceived was his abandonment of his claim to undisputed leadership.
Khoei, Abu al-Qasem (1989-1992): Preeminent Iraqi grand ayatollah, whose son Abu al-Majid was killed by Muqtada al-Sadr's followers in April 2003.
Khomeini, Ruhollah (1902-1989): Iranian grand ayatollah, first supreme leader and founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Khorasan: Mountainous region of eastern Iran and Central Asia (reaching into modern-day Afghanistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan), traditionally acting as a conduit for Turkic and other peoples' migration into the Middle East. During early Islam, Khorasan was a breeding ground for insurgents seeking to overthrow the Umayyad Caliphate. Today, a province of northeastern Iran bears the name Khorasan.
khums ("one fifth"): Pious Shias are expected to donate 20% of their net income toward the maintenance of Islamic institutions and holy sites.
Kirkuk: Traditionally Kurdish city in northern Iraq. Populated by Kurds, Turkomen and Sunni Arabs, this oil-rich city is a source of ethnic contention in Iraq.
Kufa: A Shia holy city in southern Iraq and former seat of Ali ibn Abi Talib's caliphate.
Kurdistan: The name of a historic region encompassing parts of eastern Turkey, northern Syria, northern Iraq, and northwestern Iran. It is the homeland for millions of ethnic Kurds, many of whom support the establishment of an independent state along ethnic lines.
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madhab (pl. madhahib): A Sunni school of jurisprudence. Today, four such madhabs are accepted: Hanafi, Shafi, Maliki, and Hanbali.
madrasa: A generic Arabic term for school, used in the West to denote schools of Islamic learning, particularly Sunni.
Mahdi ("Messiah"): In Twelver Shia Islam, Imam Muhammad al-Mahdi is the Twelfth Imam, and is expected to emerge from his concealment, or Occultation, for the Last Judgment.
Mahdi Army: The Jaish al-Mahdi, or Army of the Messiah, was a Shia Iraqi militia founded by Muqtada al-Sadr.
Mamluk Empire (1250-1517): An Egypt-based Turkic empire run by a slave caste.
Ma'mun (786-833): Abbasid caliph with sympathies to both Shias and the Rationalist schools of Islam in Baghdad. He is known for his establishment of the anti-Traditionalist inquisition (mihna), shortly before his death in 833.
Mashhad: Holy Shia city in the province of Khorasan, Iran. Resting place of Eighth Shia Imam Ali al-Rida (see Reza).
Mecca: The holiest city in Islam, located in the Hejaz region of Western Arabia (modern-day Saudi Arabia).
Medina: Arabian city, short for "al-Medina al-Munawwara" ("the Enlightened City"), the second holiest city in Islam, found in the Hejaz region of Western Arabia (modern-day Saudi Arabia).
mujtahid ("he who practices ijtihad"): A high-ranking cleric who can practice ijtihad.