Ali is represented by the Sunni historian al-Tabari () as an honest negotiator genuinely concerned for Uthman. Madelung and the modern historian Husain M. Jafri () highlight the attempts by Ali for reconciliation, and the Islamicist Martin Hinds () believes that Ali could not have done anything more for Uthman. The Islamic author Reza Shah-Kazemi points to Ali's "constructive criticism" of Uthman and his opposition to violence, while the Bahai scholar Moojan Momen writes that Ali mediated between Uthman and the rebels, urging the former to alter his policies and refusing the requests from the latter to lead them. This is similar to the view of the Islamicist John McHugo, who adds that Ali withdrew in frustration when his peace efforts where thwarted by Marwan. The historians Fred Donner and Robert Gleave suggest that Ali was the immediate beneficiary of Uthman's death. In turn, their opinion is challenged by Madelung, who argues that Aisha would have not actively opposed Uthman if Ali had been the prime mover of the rebellion and its future beneficiary. He and others observe the hostility of Aisha toward Ali, which resurfaced immediately after his accession in the Battle of the Camel (656). The orientalist Laura Veccia Vaglieri () believes that Ali refused to lead the rebellion but still sympathized with them and possibly agreed with their calls for abdication. Among other scholars, Hossein Nasr and Asma Afsaruddin, Levi della Vida, and Julius Wellhausen () believe that Ali remained neutral in this conflict, while Caetani labels Ali as the chief culprit in the murder of Uthman, even though the evidence suggests otherwise. The Muslim scholar Mahmoud M. Ayoub () notes the often pro-Umayyad stance of the Western classical orientalists, with the exception of Madelung. Election of Ali When Uthman was killed in 656 CE by the Egyptian rebels, the potential candidates for the caliphate were Ali and Talha. The Umayyads had fled Medina, and the provincial rebels and the Ansar (early Medinan Muslims) were in control of the city. Among the Egyptians, Talha enjoyed some support, but the Basrans and Kufans, who had heeded Ali's call for nonviolence, and most of the Ansar supported Ali. Some authors add the (majority of the) Muhajirun (early Meccan Muslims) to this list of Ali's supporters. The key tribal chiefs also seem to have favored Ali at the time. The caliphate was thus offered by these groups to Ali, who