Iranian national possible candidate for Germany’s presidential election

Kermani, 48, holds a doctorate in Islamic studies and has written novels with special readers. He is a prominent figure in the German society.

His books on Middle Eastern and Central Asian politics are well respected and he has won some of Germany’s most prestigious book prizes.

Available in English are “God is Beautiful: The Aesthetic Experience of the Koran” and “The Terror of God: Attar, Job and the Metaphysical Revolt.” He also writes reports from troubled areas for newspapers and magazines.

He is no political naif either. A speech he gave to the Bundestag in 2014 on the successes of German integration policies was widely praised, Tagesspiegel reports.

Life

Navid Kermani was born the fourth son of Iranian parents in Siegen, West Germany. He began his writing career at age 15 as a local reporter for the Westfälische Rundschau.

As a student he published in German national newspapers; from 1996 to 2000 he was a regular contributor to the feuilleton section of Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.

He studied philosophy, Oriental studies and drama in Cologne, Cairo and Bonn. His doctoral thesis has been published in English translation as God Is Beautiful: The Aesthetic Experience of the Quran.

He regularly publishes articles, literary reviews and travelogues, especially in Süddeutsche Zeitung, Die Zeit, and Neue Zürcher Zeitung.

Kermani holds German and Iranian citizenship. He is married to the Islam scholar Katajun Amirpur and has two children. He lives in Cologne.