Author: Dara Alani

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Street hawkers selling Kurdistan flags in northern Iraq prior to the referendum in August 2014 (photo: dpa/picture-alliance)

The uncertain future of Kurdish autonomy

What next for Iraqʹs Kurds?

A sense of resignation and pessimism is spreading through the Kurdistan region of Iraq, especially among the younger generation. The economic standstill, rampant youth unemployment and the omnipotence of the clans are driving people to despair. Dara Alani reports from SulaymaniyahMore

Iraqʹs wrangle over natural resources: The battle for Kurdish oilCampaigning begins for Iraqi Kurdish parliamentary vote Iraq: Kurdish referendum for political relevance: Papering over the cracks
Islamic scholar and philosopher Abdolkarim Soroush (source: YouTube)

Interview with Islamic scholar and philosopher Abdolkarim Soroush

"The Sufis were prophets of pluralism"

Islamic scholar and philosopher Abdolkarim Soroush explains how he draws on the work of Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi for guidance in his search for a comprehensive approach to religion that doesn't rely solely on rationality and logic, but also on a sense of the other dimension. Interview by Dara AlaniMore

Combatting violent extremism: Could Sufi Islam be the cure-all?Interview with Mevlevi sheikh Kabir Helminski: Sufism and the power to transformSufism: Lifting the lid

In brief

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Most Recent Photo Essay

Favourite of the hardliners: Ebrahim Raisi, a 61-year-old cleric, is running for the second time; in 2017 he lost to incumbent President Rouhani. In 2019, he was appointed head of the judiciary by religious leader Ayatollah Khamenei and is being touted as a possible successor to Khamenei. In the 1980s, Raisi was part of the so-called "death committee" responsible for executing thousands of political prisoners

Iran's presidential election: Contest of losers

Iran's Guardian Council has selected seven candidates for the mid-July presidential election. Most have run in the past. By Shabnam von Hein