The book's various essays present case studies of the observance of Muharram in non-Islamic contexts through time and in different regions of the world.

It is one of the few works that deals with non-Muslim observances of Muharram, at the intersection of South Asian culture and nationalism.

The book begins with an introductory chapter by the editors, who explain the multi-cultural appropriation of Muharram across the world, driven largely by South Asian diasporas.

They argue for a theoretical position that challenges prescribed and scriptural religion as the basis of understanding faith.

The following seven chapters present cases from South-east Asia, South Africa, the Caribbean, and different parts of India and Pakistan, using source material from various languages including Bahasa, Bhojpuri, Gujarati, Marathi, Punjabi, Tamil, and Urdu.