The Grave of Hisham al-Hashimi in Najaf

A Visit and Reflections on a Celebrated Jihadism Expert

Readers who follow Iraqi politics and/or jihadist groups will probably remember the figure of Hisham al-Hashimi, who was widely quoted in foreign and local media outlets as a leading expert on the Islamic State. In fact, this month marked the sixth anniversary of his assassination in Baghdad.

Although a Shi‘i convert to Sunni Islam, Hashimi’s grave is to be found in the massive Wadi al-Salam cemetery in Najaf that is most commonly associated with burial of Shi‘a. I was able to visit it during a night trip to the cemetery. Perhaps somewhat ironically, his grave is located not too far from one of the cemeteries belonging to the pro-Iranian armed group Kata’ib Hezbollah, which I also visited and documented in a previous post.

'Iraq’s voice: the martyr al-Hashimi'- a poster near his grave in Wadi al-Salam.