Iran
All countries-
Solving the conflicts in the Middle East
Tracing the fault lines
Simmering for decades beneath the surface of autocratic repression, conflicts such as the Sunni uprisings in Syria and Iraq, Shia unrest in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, not to mention the rancour of the Kurds and Palestinians, are ongoing. The West is partly to blame. By Ishac Diwan
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Iran's stadium ban on women
Excluding the people
Iranian women′s rights activist Darya Safai fights the stadium ban for Iranian women from her exile in Brussels. An interview on her protest during the Olympic Games in Rio, the hypocrisy of international sports organisations and Ali Khamenei′s unreformable regime. By Kai Schnier
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Interview with Seyed Mostafa Azmayesh
″I oppose the false Muslims″
The Iranian religious scholar Seyed Mostafa Azmayesh has been studying the origins and language of the Koran for decades. Ulrich von Schwerin spoke to him about his efforts to develop a new approach to the Koran, thereby saving the Prophet′s true message from what he perceives to be an erroneous interpretation of Islam
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The masked women of southern Iran
Along Iran′s coastline and on the island of Qeshm in the Strait of Hormuz, women have been wearing masks for centuries. The styles vary according to region, ethnicity, but most noticeably according to religious affiliation. Shia women wear red rectangular masks, while those of Sunni women are black or indigo with gold, shaped to give the impression of eyebrows and moustache – once a ruse to fool invaders into thinking that the women they spied from a distance were in fact men. By Eric Lafforgue
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Cultural policy and architecture in Iran
Far from an Islamist Utopia
The Islamist hardliners in Iran see themselves as a bulwark against the cultural influence of the West; their goal is to create an authentically Islamic culture. But what does that mean for things like architecture? Aesthetic observations by Ulrich von Schwerin in Iran
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Playing cat and mouse with Iran′s morality police
Since the Islamic Revolution women in Iran have been obliged to follow a strict dress code. But an increasing number are refusing to obey the rules. Many young women are wearing clothes that are more colourful and revealing – and accepting the repressive consequences
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Reform Islam
Can Iran do democracy?
A great deal of thought has been devoted to the issue of democracy in the Arab world over the last few decades. Katajun Amirpur examines the discourse with specific reference to Iran and its unique political system
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"Raving Iran" - a film documentary
Agents provocateurs
The film "Raving Iran" tells the story of the Iranian DJ combo "Blade & Beard". Anoosh and Arash produce house music and organise wild parties in Tehran and other more isolated locations in Iran. By Rene Wildangel
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Noam Chomsky in interview
Obama's sangfroid
Former MIT professor and philosopher Noam Chomsky is widely regarded as one of the world's leading intellectuals. Undoubtedly, Chomsky's word has weight. Emran Feroz interviewed him on Barack Obama's political legacy in the Middle East, the deal with Iran and the refugee crisis
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Iran's female political prisoners
Iran is holding numerous women in jail on political charges. They include human rights activists, journalists, artists and simply engaged citizens. By Shabnam von Hein
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Saudi-Iranian rivalry
And the winner is...
A cold war is waging in one of the world′s hottest regions. A key component of the sectarian competition between Shia and Sunni Islam in the Middle East is geopolitical, with Iran facing off against Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies in a struggle for regional dominance. By Robert Harvey
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The filming of Rumi
Everybody's darling
A Hollywood film project and a joint attempt by Iran and Turkey to register the principal works of the poet Rumi with the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list have recently caused political turmoil, above all, in Afghanistan. By Waslat Hasrat-Nazimi