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“Reviving old Desires:”  Saadi and Omar Khayyam  on Celebrating the New Year
Featured

“Reviving old Desires:” Saadi and Omar Khayyam on Celebrating the New Year

Juan Cole

The dawn wind wafts the scent of the New Year / to friends’ delight and triumphant good cheer.

Iran Protests Intensify Amid Rial Free Fall, Mounting Regional Tensions

Iran Protests Intensify Amid Rial Free Fall, Mounting Regional Tensions

01/01/2026 By Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty

What “Loving-Kindness” Meditation is and How to Practice it in the New Year

What “Loving-Kindness” Meditation is and How to Practice it in the New Year

01/01/2026 By The Conversation

More Stories

Iraq
40 Dead, 125 Wounded in Amara Bombings; Bombings in Baghdad leave 30 Dead or Wounded

40 Dead, 125 Wounded in Amara Bombings; Bombings in Baghdad leave 30 Dead or Wounded

Militiamen detonated three car bombs in downtown Amara on Wednesday, killing over 40 persons and wounding 125. The southern Shiite city of Amara–capital of Maysan […]

Juan Cole

Uncategorized
Ayatollah Huckabee’s Fatwa

Ayatollah Huckabee’s Fatwa

In Shiite Iran, only a Shiite may be president. Not a Sunni Muslim, not a Christian, and not a secularist. Article 115 of the current […]

Juan Cole

Iraq
Rubaie: No Permanent Bases; Bombing Near Allawi’s Compound; Basra Christians cancel Christmas Celebrations

Rubaie: No Permanent Bases; Bombing Near Allawi’s Compound; Basra Christians cancel Christmas Celebrations

Iraq’s national security adviser, Muwaffaq al-Rubaie, said Tuesday that the Iraqi nation would never permit permanent US military bases in that country. He named some […]

Juan Cole

Uncategorized
"Cole in Salon: The GOP’s Iran option is off the table

"Cole in Salon: The GOP’s Iran option is off the table

My column in Salon.com, “The GOP’s Iran option is off the table.” The subhead is: “Rudy Giuliani was counting on Iran as a weapon of […]

Juan Cole

Uncategorized
Giuliani, Reagan, and Kissing up to Ayatollahs with fancy Cakes

Giuliani, Reagan, and Kissing up to Ayatollahs with fancy Cakes

I just saw this campaign ad for Rudy Giuliani’s presidential campaign. He says that Iran held US embassy hostages for 444 days. Then they were […]

Juan Cole

Iraq
Muqtada al-Sadr Regroups Sadrists Condemn al-Hakim’s Visit to Washington Mortars hit Prison

Muqtada al-Sadr Regroups Sadrists Condemn al-Hakim’s Visit to Washington Mortars hit Prison

Sam Dagher of the Christian Science Monitor is a good reason to subscribe to CSM. He reports on the way Muqtada al-Sadr is using his […]

Juan Cole

Iraq
Police Chief of Hilla Killed; And, 40 Women Killed in Basra

Police Chief of Hilla Killed; And, 40 Women Killed in Basra

Guerrillas deployed a roadside bomb to kill the police chief of Hilla, a largely Shiite city south of Baghdad. AP reports that “Religious vigilantes have […]

Juan Cole

Uncategorized
Oprah and Obama: Irony of the Week

Oprah and Obama: Irony of the Week

The irony of the week is that Oprah Winfrey has come out strongly for Barack Obama as president. Why is that ironic? Because the subtext […]

Juan Cole

Uncategorized
Napoleon’s Scientists and the Pyramids

Napoleon’s Scientists and the Pyramids

At the NYT, Katherine Bouton reviews Nina Burleigh’s new book, “Mirage: Napoleon’s Scientists and the Unveiling of Egypt,” which I’m eager to see. In the […]

Juan Cole

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“A door to which I found no key:” FitzGerald’s The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám 1:32

Juan Cole

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Literature from Islamic Societies embraced homoerotic Love until the 19th century. What happened?

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Death of a Director: Bahram Beyzai, Pioneer of Iran’s New Age Cinema

Fariba Amini

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