The Surprising Similarities Between Catholicism and Shi’ism

Last updated on: May 1, 2026 at 11:20 pm by Andrew Chesnut

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The Surprising Similarities Between Catholicism and Shi’ism 2026-05-01T23:20:25-04:00 Andrew Chesnut

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When I saw a photo some time ago of a young Shi’a man whose body was completely covered in tattoos I immediately thought of Catholic devotional tattoos. That similarity stayed with me. I recognized in it what is also described in our book Devoti Violenti, and what has intrigued me for years: two religious traditions which, despite their differences, share striking points of contact.

Beyond the familiar television images, I first encountered this in a tangible way in Nevşehir, Turkey, at the Hacı Bektaş Veli Külliyesi, in a region with many Alevis. Although Alevism and Shi’ism are distinct religious currents, I noticed clear parallels in ritual and symbolism. Many elements reminded me of southern Italy, Spain, and Latin America. In particular, the images of Ali ibn Abi Talib and Jesus side by side made a strong impression.

In Tirana, Albania, at the Bektashi World Centre, these parallels came together again. I saw people lighting candles, praying at graves, and seeking blessings (baraka). Social media plays a double role here: it is fleeting, yet it also provides access to religious expressions from communities that would otherwise remain largely unseen. From an anthropological perspective, this is a valuable resource, because people in remote areas show for themselves what is missing from mainstream media.

The similarities between Catholic and Shi’a traditions are surprisingly strong. I wonder whether Catholics and Shi’a would recognize each other’s religious expressions when they find themselves in one another’s milieus. Departing from that question, I began to explore this subject further. I share what I have learned here without ulterior motives and with respect for every religion, convinced that commonalities can create space for mutual understanding.

Shi’a Muslims are also known as Twelvers, or Ithna ‘Ashariyyah. They believe in the twelve Imams as spiritual and political successors to the Prophet Muhammad, appointed by God. Within Catholicism we find a different structure, but a comparable symbolic number: the twelve disciples of Jesus, with Peter as the foundation of the faith and the pope as his successor.

The twelfth Imam in Shi’ism is Muhammad al-Mahdi, often simply called the Mahdi. He is regarded as the Hidden Imam (Ghaiba) who will return at the end of time to fill the world with justice. In this vision, Jesus will also return. In Islam, Jesus is considered a great prophet (Ulu’l Azm) who will support the Mahdi in the struggle against the Antichrist, the Dajjal.

Martyrdom plays a central role in both Shi’ism and Catholicism. Many Imams are regarded as martyrs (with the exception of the twelfth Imam). In Christianity, too, almost all of the disciples died a martyr’s death. Catholicism also has a broad veneration of martyrs among the saints, in both the Latin and the Eastern churches.

This martyrdom is also experienced physically. During Ashura, Shi’a Muslims commemorate the death of Imam Husayn, the third Imam, who was killed in Karbala (Iraq). Processions with latmiyya and zanjeer (or zani) express grief and solidarity through the body. Comparable forms of penance exist within Catholicism, such as the I Battenti in Italy, the Picaos in Spain, and similar processions in Latin America and the Philippines. These rituals are not limited to Easter and appear in a wide range of cultural settings.

The Passion Play

In the week before Easter (Holy Week), Catholics often stage Passion plays in which the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus are portrayed. In the Shi’a tradition there is a comparable form: the taʿziya (also spelled taziya or taʿzieh), a ritual drama around ʿĀshūrāʾ in which the martyrdom of Imam Husayn in Karbala is represented with actors, costumes, and (in some regions) processions. In this tradition we also find muqaddasāt: sacred objects whose functions are reminiscent of Catholic relics.

During Muharram one also sees ziyarāt (visitation/devotion) and miniature replicas of Imam Husayn’s shrine or grave, which in many regions are likewise called taziya. In many traditions, taziya are placed in homes or communal spaces between day 1 and day 9, and on day 10 (ʿĀshūrāʾ) they are carried in procession (for example, to a cemetery or to water).

Within Catholic traditions there is also a related form of “scenography”: the sepolcro (“Holy Sepulchre”). Such an Easter installation is in some contexts also referred to as a presepe pasquale (also: sepolcro a personaggi), because figures and scenes are used to build up the Passion narrative.

The Birth Narrative

There is also the presepe di Natale (the Nativity scene), in which the birth of Jesus is depicted through scenery and figures. In Shi’a contexts there is likewise a pronounced “mawlid culture.” Mawlid literally means “birth” and, alongside Mawlid an-Nabi (the birth of the Prophet Muhammad), it can also refer to the birth commemoration (wilādat) of holy figures from the Ahl al-Bayt. An important example is the birth of Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib, traditionally commemorated on 13 Rajab. In the tradition, Ali is said to have been born in the Kaʿba, and his mother, Fatima bint Asad, is said to have entered it (miraculously) in order to give birth.

The parallels run deep. In both Catholicism and Shi’ism, theology is supported by a systematic intellectual framework: faith is not only lived, but also approached rationally and analytically. This recalls the way Catholics have used scholasticism to clarify belief. At the same time, there are parallels in symbolism. Both Jesus and Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib are associated with the lion—Ali as Asad Allah (Lion of God) and Jesus as the Lion of Judah. Both also appear in visual imagery with a sword, not as a glorification of violence, but as a sign of spiritual leadership oriented toward peace and justice. Precisely in this combination of thought, ritual, and symbolism, it becomes clear that different traditions can sometimes come surprisingly close—and that recognition can be a first step toward mutual respect and understanding.

By guest contributor, Francesco Pepe, a Dutch independent scholar of Italian descent. He has contributed to various documentaries and publications. Together with Arnold-Jan Scheer and Michiel de Jong, he conducted research on the history of the feast of Saint Nicholas in Europe. He has also collaborated with Dr. Joseph Sciorra and Professor Jason Pine on research into neomelodica music within southern Italian migrant enclaves in Northern Europe, the United States, and Australia. Together with Silvana Radoani and Luciano Martucci, he co-authored Devoti Violenti, a book about Catholic and folk saints in the context of organized crime in Italy and Latin America.

About Andrew Chesnut

Dr. R. Andrew Chesnut earned his Ph.D degree in Latin American History from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1995 and joined the History Department faculty at the University of Houston in 1997. He quickly became an internationally recognized expert on Latin American religious history Professor Chesnut was selected as the inaugural recipient of the Bishop Walter Sullivan Chair in Catholic Studies at VCU in 2008. The chair was established as the Most Rev. Walter F. Sullivan was nearing retirement as the 11th bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Richmond to honor his nearly thirty years of service. For Professor Chesnut the chair became a unique opportunity to develop Catholic studies in a global context and at a large public university. Professor Chesnut’s early work, Born Again in Brazil: The Pentecostal Boom and the Pathogens of Poverty (Rutgers University Press, 1997), traces the meteroric rise of Pentecostalism among the popular classes in Brazil following the disestablishment of the Roman Catholic Church. His second book, Competitive Spirits: Latin America’s New Religious Economy (Oxford University Press, 2003) focuses on the three groups that have prospered most in the region’s pluralist landscape, Protestant Pentecostalism, the Catholic Charismatic Renewal, and African disasporic religions (e.g., Brazilian Candomble and Haitian Vodou). Professor Chesnut's most recent book is Devoted to Death: Santa Muerte, the Skeleton Saint (Oxford University Press, 2025). It is the first in-depth study of the Mexican folk saint in English and has received widespread media coverage. You can read more about the author here.

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