Tag Archives: Shiism

Huffington Post: Shiism, Nationalism, and the Past Clash in Modern Iran

Much as Ahmadinejad’s chief of staff, Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei notes, Iran is faced with a choice between the “school of Iran” and the “school of Islam.”

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WSJ: Iran and Hezbollah’s Spiritual Leader

During the ’90s, Fadlallah had a falling out with Hezbollah and Iran. The sticking point was the concept of Velyat-e Faqih, or guardianship of the jurist, which held that the supreme religious and political authority for Hezbollah was Iran’s Supreme Leader, Grand Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Pride played an issue for Fadlallah, who was a true scholar—a marja al-taqlid, or source of emulation—for millions of Shiites around the world. Khamenei was a mid-level cleric whose stature rested on his ability to maneuver among allies and adversaries in Tehran.

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Tehran Bureau: Who’s in Charge?

Struggle for power builds between clerics, Revolutionary Guards. An important question that those who follow Iran’s political developments keep asking is, Who is the ultimate power in Iran, Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei and the clerics around him, or the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps?

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Challenging Iran, With YouTube Views

(The New York Times) | April 10, 2010 By NEIL MacFARQUHAR MOHSEN SAZEGARA recognizes that nonviolent protest is a tough sell for most Iranians, given that bloodshed is a part of both their long history and their faith. But Mr. Sazegara ticks off a couple points in its favor. First, the Islamic Republic has disenchanted [...]

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Iran opposition asks to commemorate unrest victims

TEHRAN (Reuters) – Opposition leaders in Iran want to organize a ceremony to commemorate pro-reformers killed since the disputed presidential election, a news agency reported on Sunday. Moderate defeated candidates Mirhossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karoubi said no speech would be given during the gathering, the semi-official ILNA news agency reported. “We want a permit to [...]

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The New Democrats: An intellectual history of the Green Wave

What we are witnessing right now in the streets of Tehran is, first and foremost, a political battle for the future of the Iranian state. But closely linked to this political fight is also an old theological dispute about the nature of Shiism–a dispute that has been roiling Iran for more than a century.

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Feature: Instagrams from Iran (picture compilation)

A few pictures from Iran, taken by ordinary people and posted to Instagram

Iran Feature: Former Detainee Sarah Shourd “The Plight of Iranians and 3 Decades of US Foreign Policy”

The incredible thing for me was that so many Iranians worldwide took the time to care about us despite the thousands of other political prisoners they have to worry about. “I’m an Iranian boy ashamed for what our government did to three American hikers,” another message on Facebook says. “I want you to know Iranian people are with you and against their own government. Iran’s regime is not chosen by Iranian people. They kill and torture us and we are all in a very big prison named Iran.”

Iran Feature: The Supreme Leader Is Worried — Three Developments You Probably Don’t Know

Our partner, EAWorldView, has published a ground-breaking piece on Iran’s Supreme Leader. This is a must-read.

Live-blog: Russia, what’s next?

Live-blog: Egypt Elections, Day 1

A historic day: The first post-Mubarak elections in Egypt

Journalist Mona Eltahawy’s harrowing ordeal – beating, sexual assault and arrest in Egypt – in her own words and tweets

“The past 12 hrs were painful and surreal but I know I got off much much easier than so many other Egyptians.”