This edition of ReligionLink provides background, resources and expert sources to help journalists cover the religious features of a war whose impacts will reverberate around the world.

Evgeny Grishin is  is a historian of Europe and Russia in the period of early modernity with particular interests in language, religion, and materiality at the School of Advanced Studies, University of Tyumen.

Michael Weiss is an author and editor-in-chief at The Interpreter funded by The Institute of Modern Russia. He is an expert in Middle East affairs and politics and focuses on the Syrian conflict and modern Russia. He recently co-authored the book  ISIS: Inside the Army of Terror.