Iranian clerics
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Cinema in IranUnveiled women conquer the silver screen
More and more Iranian films are breaking taboos – the results are being met with amazement both in and outside Iran. "My Favourite Cake", which premiered at the Berlinale in February, is just the latest example
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The Iranian theologian and feminist Sedigheh VasmaghiA revolution in Islamic law
With her work, Iranian feminist and legal scholar Sedigheh Vasmaghi is putting an end to male dominance in Islamic jurisprudence, striking at the very heart of the Islamic Republic.
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Iran electionsWhy Tehran may announce a fake voter turnout
Banned from the streets, the protests in Iran continue. This week's elections will reflect just how much – or how little – popular support the Islamic Republic still enjoys
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Iran: a graphic novelThe making of a revolution
Nothing has been the same in Iran since Mahsa Amini, a young Kurdish woman, was murdered by the morality police in September 2022. Cartoonist Marjane Satrapi's new book takes its name from the protest slogan, "Woman, life, freedom", and offers an easy-to-grasp take on the complicated background to the current situation
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Iran and Mahsa Amini, one year onTehran's power base is fading
Prominent voices from within the Islamic Republic's inner circle of power – once spokesmen for the most radical factions – are now vehement in their criticism of Ali Khamenei, Iran's Supreme Leader. They used the first anniversary of Mahsa Amini's death to drive home their condemnation. By Ali Sadrzadeh
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Iran protestsTehran dismisses university lecturers
University lecturers critical of the regime are being dismissed, while those loyal to the regime are being rehired: Tehran's Islamic regime is apparently reshaping the country's universities even more strictly according to its own ideas. By Iman Aslani
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Alcohol in Iran, Turkey and the USAAre all taboos justified?
Iran's ban on alcohol has led to a rise in methanol poisonings, revealing the deadly side of prohibition. The situation mirrors past failures in the U.S. and contrasts with more lenient policies in countries like Turkey. By Niloofar Gholami
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Books on the Iran protestsFighting for freedom in the "mullah state"
Women are the main drivers behind the new revolutionary movement in Iran. Four female authors offer inside views and moving snapshots from a variety of perspectives. Review by Rene Wildangel
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Golnar Shahyar's 'Tear Drop' and the Iran protests"A revolution of culture and thought"
Raised in Iran, Golnar Shahyar studied in Canada and has lived in Vienna since 2008. The singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist combines jazz, song-writing and Persian roots with strong lyrics. She talks to Stefan Franzen about her debut solo album "Tear Drop" and the Woman, Life, Freedom movement
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750th anniversary of Rumi’s death – Part 1Seeking the essence of life
Seven-and-a-half centuries after the death of Muslim mystic poet Rumi, his verse has lost nothing of its profundity and transformative power. By Marian Brehmer
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Shia clerics in Iran"Save Islam" – or just the mullahs?
Are the Shia clergy disappearing as a pillar of Iranian society, degenerating into a mere power apparatus? Nationwide attacks, vilification and the murder, or attempted murder, of mullahs are becoming more frequent. Every turban wearer is seen as representing and symbolising the hated regime. By Ali Sadrzadeh
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Iran protestsWhat the Islamic Republic's propaganda tells us
Challenging one of the Islamic Republic's most identifiable symbols – the hijab – with some breathtaking, iconographic feminist art, Iran's activists have wrested ownership away from the clerics with regard to who represents the nation, defines its present and shapes its future. Essay by Kevin L. Schwartz & Olmo Goelz