Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini developed wilayat al-faqih (the rule of the jurist theory), the basis for the Iranian political system, during his 15-year exile in a small house in the warren alleys ringing the shrine of the Prophet's son-in-law, Caliph Imam Ali, in Iraq's Najaf
Category: Travel
Maldives: Earthly Indian Ocean Paradise of White-Sand Beaches
The Maldives is an archipelago like no other with sun-kissed white-sand beaches and clear lagoons in the middle of warm turquoise waters as far as the eye can see
Chiang Kai-Shek: Nationalist Who Lost China To Mao
Generalissimo Chiang Kai‐shek's political testament dated March 1975 called on his supporters to fulfill his dream of recapturing mainland China from the Communists and restoring their national culture
Maldives Other Side: Great Power Rivalry, Authoritarianism
Mohamed Nasheed replaced Maumoon Abdul Gayoom in 2008 after the Maldives' first multi-party elections ended the 30-year authoritarianism in the country
Murugan Statue: Hindu Emblem Of Muslim Malaysia’s Pluralism
Murugan’s statue and temple at Batu Caves are key emblems of multiculturalism and pluralism in Muslim-majority Malaysia, where Indians (eighth percent) are the third largest ethnic group
Indonesia: Beacon Of Hope In Times Of Bigotry
The Indonesian state promotes the coexistence and diversity needed to keep together a country of multiple languages, geographies, and faiths
Budapest: City Of Belonging In Bookshops, Longing
The beauty of Budapest lies in its casual and at once intense embrace of the scores of bookshops and makeshift bookstalls scattered across the city