Shia Islam | Shiite Muslims

Between sympathy and rejection

Palestinians living in Saddam Hussein's Iraq were courted until his overthrow in 2003, after which they suffered widespread harassment. Ever since the onset of the Israeli offensive in Gaza, however, Iraqis have been keen to show their solidarity

The Iraqi Christian turned radical

It was an Iraqi with Christian roots – Salwan Momeka – who staged the burning of the Koran in Stockholm last week. In doing so, he wanted to get even with his countrymen. Birgit Svensson reports from Baghdad

Saudi Arabiaˈs great transformation

With Vision 2030, Saudi Arabia is attempting to move away from economic dependence on hydrocarbons. Given the vast resources that the kingdom is deploying, the enthusiasm shown by young Saudis and the speed at which reforms are moving forward, the strategy could ultimately benefit the entire Middle East. By Rabah Arezki and Tarik M. Yousef

Iran: Defiant Shia cleric takes in stray dogs

"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

What 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

Protests drive Iran's Saudi deal

On 10 March 2023, the world woke up to the breaking news that Middle East rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia had forged a deal to restore diplomatic relations within two months and refrain from interfering in each other's domestic affairs. Ali Fathollah-Nejad and Amin Naeni examine Iran's motivations

Iraq's wounds are slow to heal

20 years after the U.S. invasion, the country between the Euphrates and Tigris rivers is only just beginning to recover from the aftermath. But the road is paved with obstacles. Birgit Svensson reports from Iraq

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

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

Staring into the abyss

Lebanon was long viewed as the Switzerland of the Middle East. Until relatively recently, billions were deposited in its banks. Gulf states were among the foremost investors in Beirut. But this all came to an end in 2019. Now the troubled nation is gripped by the worst economic crisis in its history. Birgit Svensson reports from Beirut and Tripoli