The martyrdom of Husayn - the grandson of Prophet Muhammad - in the Battle of Karbala on the tenth of Muharram (Ashura) 680 AD has been seen as a defining moment in the history of Islam, particularly within the Shi'i community. Contemporary Social Movements and the Karbala Paradigm is an event that will discuss the impact that Karbala has had on modern societies, Muslim and non-Muslim alike. This event is often considered unique to the Shi'i community, and, as such, only important to a minority of the world's population. This event will explain the far reach it has had, and how it has been uniquely reinterpreted by different groups in order to fit their political and social movements. Our panelists are the foremost scholars on this topic, and engage this concept directly in academia. They, therefore, feel a vested interest in this panel, and are excited to make better known how the example of Karbala is lived today. 

Sponsored by the Department of Anthropology, Department of Asian and Middle Eastern Cultures, Barnard College, Organization of Pakistani Students, Columbia Students for Justice for Palestine, Muslim Students Association, Middle East Law Students Association and the Middle East Institute