Volume 124 Issue 1 January/February 2009

Editorial: Fine lessons: Funny how atheists enjoying themselves can be so threatening to believers

Cover Story

Power struggle: For decades, it was the scourge of the environmental movement. But now, discovers Angela Saini, the greens are going nuclear

True disbelievers: Being faith-less is no excuse for rewriting history, says Theodore Dalrymple
In the burning house: In 2005 Russian artist Anna Alchuk was publicly vilified and put on trial for her involvement in the Caution:Religion! exhibition. Three years later she drowned herself. Her husband, the philosopher Michail Ryklin, reads her diaries to find out why
Bad Faith Awards 2008: Following a tough campaign and a hard-fought election, we can finally announce last year's most scurrilous enemy of reason
Before the dawn: Thirty years after the revolution consumerism and political apathy dominate Iran. But a new generation may change that, says Nasrin Alavi
Days of atonement: Visiting Israel just weeks before the current Gaza conflict, Sally Feldman found that rising religious bigotry is one of the biggest barriers to peace
Unsafe havens: The Government is planning tougher penalties for men who use trafficked prostitutes. But who is helping the women themselves? Rahila Gupta uncovers a distributing trend

Endgame: One track mind: Laurie Taylor hopes he’s not a running joke
Diary: Trump cards: Our religions game seemed to annoy everyone. Result! says Christina Martin

Darwin's journey: For poet Ruth Padel the 200th anniversary of the birth of the great scientist, in 2009, was more than a historical milestone, it was a family celebration
Muslim metal: As Egyptians bravely protest their government, we thought it a good moment to represent this piece about the Muslim metal scene which has incubated resistance. Across the Islamic world young people are flocking to the sounds of hardcore rock and death metal. Mark LeVine reports from Cairo
Space invaders: New towns are often derided as eyesores. But, argues Owen Hatherley, they could transform the future, if we save them from the traditionalists

Once on a Moonless Night by Dai Sijie: Philip Womack barely survives the tedium of a new Chinese novel
The Artist, the Philosopher and the Warrior by Paul Strathern: Brenda Maddox enjoys some Renaissance history
The Weight of a Mustard Seed by Wendell Steavenson: Nina Power considers complicity in Iraq
Three-Letter Plague by Johnny Steinberg: Andrew Mueller enjoys some journalism with a human touch
The Strangest Man by Graham Farmelo: James Randerson encounters a strange legend of physics
Teenagers: A Natural History by David Bainbridge: Bill Thompson gets down with the kids