Nathan Gonzalez
C
Caliph: lit. "vicegerent," referring to the political successor of the Prophet Muhammad. With the exception of the Rightly Guided Caliphs, caliphs were not considered to be infallible sources of authority, but merely executive leaders who should display a level of piety expected of a Muslim leader.
Constantine (I) (272-337): First Christian emperor of the Rome, who established his capital in Byzantium (later named Constantinople, after him).
Ctesiphon: Ancient city in eastern Mesopotamia; former seat of the Parthian and Sasanian Empires of Iran.
Cyrus the Great (d. 530 B.C.): Achaemenid ruler and founding monarch of Iran.
D
dawa: refers to the missionary call in Islam.
Dawa Party (Iraq): Shia political party founded in 1958. During Baath Party rule, it served as part of the Iranian-supported opposition.
Dhu Nuwas (d. 525): Himyarite king (Yemen), infamous for his persecution of Christians following his conversion to Judaism.
Druze: Religion that developed out of Islamili-Shia communities that transformed following the end of the Ismaili Fatimid Empire in the twelfth century. Not considered Muslim, the Druze are mostly found in Syria, Lebanon and Israel.
F
Fadlallah, Grand Ayatollah Muhammad Husayn (b. 1935): High-ranking Shia cleric based in Beirut. Although relatively liberal, he is considered by many to be a "spiritual guide" of the Lebanese Hezbollah.
Faisal I (1883-1933): Deposed king of Syria and first king of Iraq (1920-1933). Placed on the throne by British administrators during the founding of modern Iraq.
Fatima (d. 632): Daughter of the Prophet Muhammad and wife of Ali ibn Abi Talib. Their union became the bloodline of the Shia Imams.
Fatimid Caliphate (909-1171): Powerful, Egypt-based dynasty set up by Ismaili Shias; named after Fatima, daughter of the Prophet Muhammad.
fitna: "time of trial," the word refers to a struggle within the Muslim community. The Great Fitna of 656-661 between the forces that would become "Sunnis" and "Shias" is referred to as the first Muslim civil war.
fatwa: religious ruling by a qualified, high-ranking cleric. In Shia Islam, fatwas are the exclusive right of grand ayatollahs.
Franjieh, Suleiman (1910-1992): Political leader and former Christian president of Lebanon.
Franjieh, Tony (1941-1978): Son and political heir apparent of Suleiman Franjieh. He was killed by the Gemayels, a rival Christian Lebanese family during the 1975-1990 civil war.
G
Gemayel, Bashir (1947-1992): Leader of the Christian Phalanges militia of Lebanon and killer of rival Christian Tony Franjieh. Bashir was himself assassinated by a Christian activist prior to assuming the presidency of Lebanon.
Gemayel, Pierre (1905-1984): Lebanese Christian leader and founder of the Phalanges militia.
al-Ghazali, Abu Hamid (1158-1111): Legendary Islamic philosopher based in the Inner Khorasan region of Iran.
Ghaznavid Dynasty (975-1187): Iranian-based Turkic dynasty of Sunni affiliation.
ghulat: lit. "extremist"; derogatory term given to early, nonorthodox Muslim believers, who revered their leaders as saintly. The term is often associated with revolutionary Muslims from the frontier region of Outter Khorasan (Central Asia), who helped found the Abbasid Dynasty in 750.
Golden Age of Islam: A Medieval flourishing of Muslim arts and sciences, which occurred under the auspices of the Abbasid Dynasty in Baghdad (750-1258).
grand ayatollah (Arabic: ayatollah al-uzma): highest rank in Shia Islam; synonymous with a marjatu al-taqlid.
Gulf War (1991): A U.S.-led war involving around half a million troops, aimed at removing Iraqi troops from Kuwait following the latter's annexation by the former.
Gulf War (1980-88): Referred to as the "First Gulf War" in academic circles, the Iran-Iraq War resulted in nearly one million fatalities on both sides.