Iran
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'Change' for Iran women
Pastry chef rises to the occasion
She could have left Iran, as many of her contemporaries did, but Paris-trained pastry chef Shahrzad Shokouhivand decided to stay and work to make women's lives better inside the country
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Berlin Museum of Islamic Art
"Islamic Art” goes digital
The Berlin Museum of Islamic Art’s new online portal is the first digital platform in the German-speaking world to present Islamic cultures in an innovative and entertaining way. By Ceyda Nurtsch
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Sectarian politics in Lebanon
A harried Hezbollah
Hezbollah faces massive challenges – Lebanon’s presidential vacuum, sectarian tensions, as well as the ongoing economic turmoil. Yet, as Mohanad Hage Ali argues, it currently has few options for dealing with them
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Iranian film "Holy Spider"
Killing women in the name of Allah
Ali Abbasi’s film "Holy Spider" tells the true story of a serial killer in the Iranian pilgrimage city of Mashhad. The fact that it gets bogged down at the end does not make it any less interesting. By Andreas Kilb
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The future of Islamic mysticism
Is Sufism under threat?
Sufis today are under attack from fundamentalists and modernists alike. At the same time, a new form of Sufism is emerging in the West. By Marian Brehmer
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Iran protests
Iranian film director Jafar Panahi released following hunger strike
World-famous Iranian film director Jafar Panahi has been released from Tehran's notorious Evin prison after a hunger strike. By Stuart Braun
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Women's voices
Iranian literature in times of uprising
Young women are driving forward the protests against the Iranian regime, which have been going on for months. Literature provides clues as to why that should be, and why the current situation was unavoidable. By Gerrit Wustmann
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Eye-witness on Iran protests
Exiled artist Forouhar: 'A country in turmoil'
Visiting the country of her parents, murdered by the Iranian regime in 1998, German-Iranian artist Parastou Forouhar finds a changed society: hopeful, strong and courageous, despite all the repression
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"1001 Nights Apart"
Dancing for freedom in Iran
Ballet performances are prohibited in Iran. In her film "1001 Nights Apart", director Sarvnaz Alambeigi documents the history of dance in the Islamic Republic. By Fahimeh Farsaie
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Ebrahim Raisi
Iran's 'death committee' president
Iran's president Ebrahim Raisi is overseeing an unyielding crackdown. The current situation grimly echoes his role in a purge of political prisoners in 1988
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China, the Arabs’ preferred partner?
Mr. Xi goes to Riyadh
Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Saudi Arabia in December 2022 may have rattled Washington, but it simply highlighted the Arabs’ desire to diversify their foreign relations in the face of a changing world. Analysis by Abdullah Baabood
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Turkey-Syria-Russia relations
Is Erdogan planning a deal with Assad?
There are signs of an imminent normalisation of relations between Turkey and Syria. This would allow Erdogan to score political points domestically before the upcoming elections in Turkey. It would also be opportune for Putin. By Ronald Meinardus