Iran
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Protests in Iran
The longing for a modern form of Islam
Forty-three years after Khomeini's revolution, the regime is facing its greatest internal challenge yet. State Islam in Iran is being rocked from beneath.
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Marking the anniversary of Rumi's death in Konya
From traditional to lifestyle Sufism
In 1925, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk had the Sufi orders shut down. In modern-day Konya, the city council uses whirling dervishes in its marketing campaigns. Marian Brehmer on Islamic mysticism in Turkey
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Best of Qantara.de 2022
Our readers' favourite articles this year
At the end of every year, the team at Qantara.de gives you a run-down of the ten most-read articles on the site over the past 12 months. Here is a quick overview of the stories that attracted the most attention in 2022. Happy New Year to all our readers!
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"Woman, life, freedom!" – Iran marks three months of protests
The violent death of Jina Mahsa Amini in September has triggered the largest protest movement in decades against the repressive rule in the Islamic Republic. The Iranian state has reacted with full force.
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Iranian literature in exile
"A great demand for Persian books"
Cologne-based publisher Anahita Redisiu sells Persian books that have been banned or censored in Iran. She regards the situation in Iran with concern and has harsh words for Germany's stance towards the Iranian regime. Gerrit Wustmann spoke to her about politics and literature
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Protests in Iran
Rethinking Sharia and democracy
According to a recent survey, half of all Iranians say that they have left Islam as a religion, while two-thirds believe Islamic law should be excluded from their legal system. In the following essay, Ahmet T. Kuru explores the implications
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Iran and global energy supplies
Covert conflict in the Gulf
Since Russia invaded Ukraine, Europe has been trying to find alternatives to Russian gas, inevitably zeroing in on the Arab Gulf states. In his commentary, Yemeni politician Muammar al-Iryani proposes a simple way for the West to secure international shipping routes
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Arab world on tenterhooks
World Cup semi-final – "We are all Moroccans"
Morocco has taken the 2022 World Cup by storm, with the northwest Africans reaching the semi-finals for the first time in their soccer history. As the knockout match approaches, Birgit Svensson's public viewing report from Baghdad throws a different light on Morocco's recent victories in Qatar
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New release to mark 750th anniversary of Rumi's death
Complete edition of the "Masnavi" in German
For the first time ever, a complete edition of Rumi's "Masnavi" has been published in German in verse. At the Sufi Festival in Hamburg in late November, Marian Brehmer met translator Otto Hoeschle and spoke to him about the significance of this masterpiece of Islamic mysticism
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Iran protests 2022
Tehran fatally oblivious to social change
The Islamic Republic has been unable to quell the civil unrest that erupted three months ago, after Mahsa Amini died after being detained for violating hijab rules. Now the protesters have broadened their demands. Commentary by Djavad Salehi-Isfahani
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Iran's Mohammad Reza Shajarian
Force of nature and symbol of freedom
"The Voice of Dust and Ash" draws us into the life and times of Iranian maestro Mohammad Reza Shajarian with passion and joy, focusing on the man who stood, and still stands, for a nation. By Richard Marcus
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COVID-19, COP27 and World Cup 2022
Crisis management in the Arab world
November 2022 sees the Arab world firmly in the spotlight with the COP27 in Egypt and the FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Public trust in MENA governments is weak, thanks to their miserable record in protecting citizens’ rights, which leaves nations ill-equipped to handle complex crises like climate change or COVID-19. By Jan Voelkel