Abstract
This study deals with an important but still understudied aspect of visual representations of Islam. It compares how two international news agencies, the Associated Press and Reuters, visually portray Shia Muslim mourning rituals in five countries: Afghanistan, India, Iraq, Lebanon, and Pakistan. It offers analysis of how visual representations of the Ithna Aashari Shiite Muslim rituals are constructed in international news agencies' photos, especially as audiences turn to online news websites for news and other international events. A critical discourse analysis is based on 204 photographs taken between January 1, 2001, and December 31, 2009. Coverage by the two news agencies overlooked nuanced readings of the rituals and may contribute to misconceptions of Ashura as male-only rituals centered on penitence.