On the trail of the red pilgrims
The philosopher Michail Ryklin tells Caspar Melville what really motivated communism's faithful followers
Politics & Conflict
Film review: Milk
Sean Penn deserves his Oscar, but this biopic of America's first gay politician mostly plays it safe, says Fred Rowson
Muslim metal
Across the Islamic world young people are flocking to the sounds of hardcore rock and death metal. Mark LeVine reports from Cairo
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
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…
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