The enduring legacy of medieval Christian depictions of Islam in today’s political discourse

Long-standing Christian narratives about Islam continue to inform political language, argues a sociologist of Islam.

By: Anna Piela, Northwestern University, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: April 13, 2026

Words: 1,252

Last Updated: 3 months, 2 weeks ago

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By Anna Piela, Northwestern University

The war with Iran is not just a geopolitical conflict. We see religious rhetoric used to cast strategic interests as a moral or sacred matter.

U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson described Iran’s majority faith tradition, Shiite Islam, as a “misguided religion” while discussing the ongoing U.S. strikes against Iran on March 4, 2026. A complaint made to the Military Religious Freedom Foundation alleged that same month that an …

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