Tag Archives: Iraq

A Note on the Mu’tazilites and the Office of the Caliph

By Kyle Orton (@KyleWOrton) on 4 June 2025

Muslim belief is that the Qur’an is “uncreated” (ghayr makhluq). While the Qur’an was revealed to Muhammad over twenty-three years (610-32 AD), the “speech of God” (kalam Allah) in these revelations had existed co-eternally with God. This was once a point of serious dispute in Islamic theology, and the outcome of that debate was an important waymarker in the development of Islam.

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Dealing with the Conspiracy Theory that Islamic State “Never” Attacks Israel

By Kyle Orton (@KyleWOrton) on 12 May 2025

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What Iran’s Leaks Really Tell Us About Syrian “Interim” President Ahmad al-Shara’s Past with the Islamic State

By Kyle Orton (@KyleWOrton) on 3 May 2025

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A Note on the Iraqi Prime Minister’s Dependence on Iran

By Kyle Orton (@KyleWOrton) on 3 May 2025

Muhammad al-Sudani has been Iraq’s Prime Minister since October 2022. He was installed at Iran’s behest after a year-long political logjam following the 2021 Iraqi elections. The political fronts for Iran’s terrorist-militias lost those elections, but Tehran picked the Prime Minister anyway.

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Profile of Islamic State “Heroic Commander” Jarrah al-Shami

By Kyle Orton (@KyleWOrton) on 30 April 2025

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Islamic State Changes Course in Dealing With the Tribes, Holds Its Ground Against Democracy

By Kyle Orton (@KyleWOrton) on 4 April 2025

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New Orleans and the Islamic State’s Policy on Lone-Actor Terrorism

By Kyle Orton (@KyleWOrton) on 12 January 2025

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Islamic State Profiles its “Hidden Figures”

By Kyle Orton (@KyleWOrton) on 11 January 2025

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Bashar al-Assad Falls

By Kyle Orton (@KyleWOrton) on 9 December 2024

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Islamic State Condemns Syria’s Regime—and Syria’s Insurgents

By Kyle Orton (@KyleWOrton) on 7 December 2024

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