women

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 […]

Donald Trump

Lonely MAGA Bros: Peter Thiel’s New Conservative Dating App Ghosted by, like, Women

The Conversation

By Lisa Portolan, Western Sydney University | – The Right Stuff is a new conservative dating app, recently launched in the US. Not yet available in Australia, the app was apparently created “for conservatives to connect in authentic and meaningful ways.” It offers to bring people together with shared values and similar passions, ensuring users […]

Authoritarianism

Prison Revolt, Fire, Gunshots at Notorious Evin Facility in Iran, which houses Political Prisoners, as Iran Protests enter 5th Week

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Dubai-based Al-Arabiya assembles Tweets from Iran about the prisoner uprising at Iran’s maximum-security prison, Evin, which led to the outbreak of a major fire on Saturday. The facility holds political prisoners, including foreigners. Interrogations there have routinely involved torture. Despite government claims that the fire had been extinguished on Saturday […]

Authoritarianism

What the historic women’s Uprising in Iran teaches us about resisting Authoritarianism

Waging Nonviolence

By Nilofar Sakhi | – The death of Mahsa Amini, who was detained and beaten by Iranian morality police due to a violation of “Iran’s dress code or mandatory hijab rules” has caused unprecedented nationwide protests against the Islamic Republic of Iran. Her death is a blatant sign of Iran’s ongoing oppression and violence against […]

Authoritarianism

Iran: Massive Baluch Protest in Zahedan; in NW, Security Forces attack School, Injuring and Disappearing Girls

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Because of internet blackouts, news of Iran’s ongoing protests only leaks out in dribbles and drabs, sometimes a couple of days later. Reports did circulate on Friday of a large demonstration in Zahedan after people left Friday prayers to gather in the city center. Police allegedly used live fire to […]

Authoritarianism

Not ‘powerless Victims’: how young Iranian Women have long led a quiet Revolution

The Conversation

By Nasim Salehi, Southern Cross University | – The “Women, Life, Freedom” movement that has taken hold in Iran in recent weeks is not new. Young Iranian women have been involved in small but consistent evolutionary actions during the entire 44 years of the Islamic Republic of Iran, particularly in the past two decades. The […]

Feminism

Marriage laws in Mideast put Women at increased risk of Child Marriage and Domestic Violence

Middle East Monitor

By Amelia Smith | – ( Middle East Monitor) – A new policy briefing by the NGO, Equality Now, on how marriage laws in the MENA region and around the world discriminate against women and girls reveals how failure to reform means they are at increased risk of human rights violations, such as child marriage […]