Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini
All topics-
Protests in Iran
No revolution in sight
Forty years after the start of the Islamic Revolution, Iran is once again convulsed with protests. Many of the economic problems facing the country today resemble those in the 1970s, and the regime appears to be scarcely less repressive and ossified than it was back then. Nevertheless, the current protests are unlikely to be the beginning of a new revolution, says Ulrich von Schwerin
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Obituary: dissident Ebrahim Yazdi
An emblematic figure of Iranian politics bows out
The image of Ebrahim Yazdi, who passed away on 27 August aged 86, fittingly portrays the paradoxes of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Those involved in Tehran′s political scene of the last twenty years knew him as the opposition, an ′Islamic liberal′ and supporter of democratic reforms. By Marina Forti
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Women's rights in Iran
Farewell compulsory veiling? Time to go with the flow
After the Iranian Revolution in 1979, the Islamic regime began to force women to adopt Islamic dress. Resistance to the rule has never ceased, though it has changed. And suddenly compulsory veiling in the theocracy no longer seems to be on solid ground. An abridged version of the original article by Nasrin Bassiri
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Iran′s ″Holy Defence″
Dulce et decorum est...
Iran has many museums dedicated to its rich history. Nevertheless, those places that focus on events during which Iranians and other prominent 'Defenders of Islam' lost their lives, enjoy special status. By Philipp Breu
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Book review: Henner Fürtig on Iran
Through Realpolitik-tinted glasses
In his book "Großmacht Iran – Der Gottesstaat wird Global Player" (Iran: a major power – from theocracy to global player), Henner Fürtig, director of the GIGA Institute for Middle Eastern Studies, predicts a promising future for the Islamic Republic of Iran as the most important regional power in the Middle East. Miriam Abdollahi read the book
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Nepotism in Iran's Islamic Republic
At home with the mullahs
In the Islamic Republic of Iran, which once vowed to eliminate hereditary rule, large family dynasties are increasingly dominating the political landscape. Critical voices assert that the Shah has been replaced by a clerical "king" as ruler of the country, complete with his own court and state nobility. However, some of the hereditary princes are demonstrating remarkable independence. By Ulrich von Schwerin
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Science in Iran
Headscarves and nanotech
In recent years Iran has been gripped by a pioneering spirit: under the pressure of sanctions, the nation transformed itself into a powerhouse of innovation. But the rift between religion and high-tech is ever present. Patrick Illinger reports from Tehran
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Interview with Iranian women's rights activist Mahboubeh Abbasgholizadeh
″No woman can be worse than Ahmadinejad″
On 19 May, Iranians will elect their next president. Once again, it will be a man. In interview with Mitra Shodjaie, women's rights activist Mahboubeh Abbasgholizadeh says this has to change
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Iranian-Saudi relations
For better, for worse
The West often reduces the strained relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia to the sectarian Sunni-Shia conflict, but the reality is far more complex. By Joseph Croitoru
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Book review: Mehrnousch Zaeri-Esfahani's "33 Arches and a Teahouse"
A million butterflies in my head
In her book for young adults "33 Bogen und ein Teehaus" [33 Arches and a Teahouse], Mehrnousch Zaeri-Esfahani tells the story of her life from ages five to eleven: the beauty of her native city of Isfahan, her happy family life, the torture of living under dictatorship in Iran, and her family's flight to Germany. It is a book of poetic power without a trace of sentimentality. By Thomas Linden
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Interview with Iranian dissident Abolhassan Banisadr
Selling the revolution on
Following the Islamic Revolution of 1979, millions of Iranian dissidents were forced to flee the country for fear of reprisals. Prominent among them, Abolhassan Banisadr, the first president of the Islamic Republic. Having fallen out with Khomeini, he left Iran in the summer of 1981. Interview by Mahindokht Mesbah
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The influence of Iran′s religious foundations
Faith and profit enshrined
Millions of pilgrims visit the shrine of Imam Reza in Mashhad to be near to the holy man. The tomb is an important economic factor for the city, but at the same time it is the centre of an extensive business em-pire wielding huge influence in Iranian politics. On the political economy of the holy man, by Ulrich von Schwerin