Feminism

The Veil in Iran has been an enduring Symbol of Patriarchal Norms – but its Use has Changed depending on Who is in Power

By Amy Motlagh, University of California, Davis | – In images of the uprising that followed the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini on Sept. 16, 2022, perhaps the most iconic ones, aside from that of Amini herself, are those of unveiled Iranian women photographed from behind, facing police barricades or raising a fist at the […]

Authoritarianism

Protesting Rapper’s Video Foretelling Iranian Regime’s Future Leads To Arrest As Fans Fear For His Life

Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty

( RFE?RL ) – Toomaj Salehi’s lyrical support for protesters in Iran has landed him behind bars before, but this time the popular rapper’s fortune-telling has fans and family members fearing for his life. Just days before his September 30 arrest, the 32-year-old Salehi released his latest music video, in which he makes foreboding predictions […]

Authoritarianism

Iran: hijab Protests reflect Society-wide Anger at Regime which trashes Rule of Law and Human Rights

The Conversation

By Saeed Bagheri, University of Reading | – The death of Mahsa Amini at the hands of Iran’s morality police in September for not wearing the hijab properly was a fracturing point, prompting Iranian women to come on to the streets en masse to protest the regime’s violence and injustice. But our understanding of these […]

Feminism

Iran: Protesters call for Move to a non-religious State. What Changes would that Bring?

The Conversation

By Hossein Dabbagh, University of Oxford | – My friend was in Tehran during protests after the death of Mahsa Amini while in the custody of the morality police (Gasht-e Ershad). My friend went into a grocery shop intending to buy milk. The seller refused to sell anything to her. “Why are you refusing?” she […]

Authoritarianism

As Crackdown Intensifies, Iranian Demonstrators Turn To Protest Art

Golnaz Esfandiari

( RFE/RL ) – As the authorities intensify their deadly crackdown on antiestablishment protests in Iran, some demonstrators are resorting to protest art to express their dissent. The street art and graffiti has targeted Iran’s clerical regime, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and has appeared on public walls in major cities. دیوارنویسی اعتراضی در […]

Dissent

Iran: Police fire on some of the Thousands of Demonstrators Commemorating 40th day after Mahsa Amini’s Death

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Wednesday was the fortieth day after the death of the Kurdish young woman, Mahsa “Zhina” Amini, 22, in the custody of Tehran’s morality police. It is customary in Iran for family and friends mourning a departed loved one to come together one last time on the 40th day, to visit […]

Dissent

The Protests in Iran are part of a long History of Women’s Resistance

The Conversation

By Niloofar Hooman, McMaster University | – On Sept. 16, Mahsa (Zhina) Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish-Iranian woman, died in Tehran while in the custody of Iran’s morality police. Her death set off a massive wave of demonstrations that have spread across the country. While the protests started with anger over the enforcement of the hijab, […]

Authoritarianism

Top Iran Prosecutor Threatens Death Penalty for Leading Protests, as Government arrests over 7,000

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – BBC Monitoring reports that the protests in Iran are continuing, both in small towns and big cities, though the situation inside Iran is murky because the regime has cut off the internet. Many protesters appear to have retreated to the suburbs, rather than rallying right downtown where the state security […]

Authoritarianism

The world must hear the Voice of Iranian Women

Global Voices

By Azin Mohajerin and Sussan Tahmasebi | – ( Globalvoices.org ) – The name Mahsa (Jina) Amini has become a rallying cry for millions of people across the world to protest the oppression of the Iranian government against its own citizens. The hashtag #MahsaAmini has broken records on social media for the number of times […]