Argument
A Century of Struggle in Iran
Women across the country gathered on the streets and fed their headscarves to bonfires. In dramatic public acts, they climbed cars and cut their hair. “Iranians will die,” they chanted, “but they won’t suffer humiliation.”
The Global Mufti’s Legacy
It is the Muslim Brotherhood and Banna’s vision for Islam in postcolonial modernity that most deeply characterizes Qaradawi’s ideological outlook. At the heart of this outlook is an understanding that Islam is characterized by “shumuliyya” (comprehensiveness).
As Protests Erupt Over Putin’s Draft, a More Ominous Threat Surfaces
Demonstrators are organizing large protests to take place after Friday prayers on Sept. 30. “Invaders do not become martyrs,” one poster says. People in the North Caucasus are acutely aware of what a Russian invasion feels like, even today. The 19th-century, anti-colonial war against tsarist forces, which raged for almost 50 years, took a terrible toll on the highlanders and still influences the modern mindset; there is scarcely a Dagestani home or family that does not have a portrait of the warrior Imam Shamil, the freedom fighter who took on imperial Russia.
Iran’s Protests Have Everything and Nothing To Do With Hijab
A choice vs. an obligation, a clothing item vs. a symbol of oppression, a religious identity vs. political statement — the controversial fabric is, in fact, all the above and a bit more.
Brazil’s Referendum on Authoritarianism
The Brazilian political arena is defined today by long-established divisions and a much more assertive extreme-right with emboldened militaristic and antidemocratic leanings.
Chess Ban Holds Russia in Check
Banning Russia from chess would have been impossible in any earlier era given the grip it has on the game. But now, the scales have tilted. Last month, during the Chess Olympiad in India, a young team from Uzbekistan won the gold; the Indian team took home the bronze.
The Italian Far Right’s Long March Back to Power
Giorgia Meloni’s efforts to “Make Italy Great Again” aim to purge the negative memory of fascism as a kind of “black spot” in Italian history for a defensive anger against those who seek to saddle Italians with a feeling of guilt.