Jihadism | Jihadists
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20 years Iraq War
Farewell to the old world order
It is 20 years since the USA began its invasion of Iraq. Alongside the countless dead Iraqis and U.S. soldiers, it was the West’s credibility in the Arab world that would fall victim to this war. As Karim El-Gawhary argues, this loss is still having consequences two decades later
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20 years after Saddam's fall
Iraq still haunted by missing persons
When he first heard that U.S. troops had toppled Saddam Hussein, Iraqi engineer Hazem Mohammed thought he would finally be able to find his brother, who had been shot dead and dumped in a mass grave after a failed uprising against Saddam's rule in 1991
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Earthquake aid for Syria
Bashar al-Assad – pariah no more
While hundreds of thousands of people in northern Syria are still waiting for tents, water and medical aid, the Syrian regime is celebrating its comeback in the Arab world. Earthquake relief is serving as a fig leaf for Assad's rehabilitation, writes Kristin Helberg
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Iraq's art and literature scene
Culture boom in Baghdad
Frustrated with their politicians, young Iraqis are turning their backs on politics and throwing themselves into cultural life. Birgit Svensson reports from Baghdad
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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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Sufism in Egypt
Cairo's mystic revival
Egyptian Sufis have been on the defensive against the country's Islamists for decades. Meanwhile, interest in mysticism is growing among the young members of Cairo’s middle and upper classes. By Marian Brehmer
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Turkish-Syrian relations
A menacing rapprochement
Any reconciliation between Turkey and Syria’s Assad regime would have disastrous consequences for many Syrians, explains Syria expert Kristin Helberg
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Turkey, Iran – and Iraq's Kurds
Days of reckoning
The Kurds are under attack from two sides: from Turkey, and from Iran. The situation in their territories in northern Iraq is becoming increasingly desperate. Birgit Svensson reports from Erbil
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Paris Bataclan attack, 7 years on
You will not have my hate
Antoine Leiris lost his wife in the Islamist terrorist attack on the Bataclan club in Paris. German director Kilian Riedhof has made a film of his book "You will not have my hate". By Philipp Jedicke
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God's love for all
Sufism is not just Muslim
Sufism has fluid boundaries. Just like Islam, Sufism is inconceivable without its late antique roots. Then again, it has also exerted an influence on Hinduism. Moreover, the Sufic doctrine of divine love exists independently of Islam. By Stefan Weidner
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Geopolitics and jihadism
Biden’s dangerous embrace of Pakistan
The Biden administration could have used Pakistan’s economic crisis to compel the country to sever its longstanding ties to terrorist groups. Instead, the U.S. protects and rewards it, putting short-term geopolitical considerations ahead of long-term interests. Commentary by Indian analyst Brahma Chellaney
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Sufism in Morocco
A cure for extremism?
Morocco's Sufi traditions go back centuries. Now King Mohammed VI is trying to use them to combat extremism. His programme of reforms includes the promotion of Sufi movements and moderate Islamic thinkers. By Marian Brehmer