#Iranian Women you Should Know

[whileiamdying]

Iranian Women you Should Know: Simin Behbahani

Simin Behbahani was a poet, writer, human rights and women rights activist, and a founder of the Iranian Writers' Association, an affiliate of International PEN. She was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature twice, in 1999 and 2002. In 2009, Behbahani received the Simone de Beauvoir Prize for Women's Freedom on behalf of women's rights campaigners in Iran.

Among her many admirers, Behbahani, who died in August 2014, was known as the “lioness of Iran.”

The Iranian Writers’ Association started its activities in 1968 under Iran’s Pahlavi dynasty and was the first professional association for writers in Iran. While writers did not have an easy time under the Shah, since the Islamic Revolution of 1979, members of the association have faced harassment, prison, torture, exile and, of course, censorship. Over a 10-year period, from 1988-1998, intellectuals were targeted in a series of extrajudicial killings that became known as “Chain Murders.” Two of the writers’ association members, Mohammad Mokhtari and Mohammad Jafar Pouyandeh, were murdered, and there were attempts on the lives of a number of others.

Simin Behbahani was born in June 1927 to a literary family. Her father, Abbas Khalili, was a poet, writer and newspaper editor. Her mother, Fakhr Ozma Arghun, was a poet and a member of the progressive Association of Patriotic Women between 1925 and 1929.

Behbahani started writing poetry at 12 and published her first collection when she was 14.

In 1958, she began studying law at Tehran University, but after graduation, she preferred teaching over practicing law.

Before the revolution, Behbahani also wrote lyrics for popular Iranian singers, and she sat on the Iranian National Radio and TV’s Music Council. Themes of patriotism, poverty, freedom of expression and women’s rights run through her lyrics and poetry.

In the summer of 1988, when the Islamic Republic executed countless number of political prisoners without returning their bodies to their families or informing them where they were buried, Simin Behbahani published a poem dedicated to the victims’ mothers.

When police forces gunned down a young woman, Neda Agha Soltan, during the protests that followed the disputed 2009 presidential election, Behbahani dedicated a poem in Soltan’s memory: “Dead you are not, dead you will not be/Always you will live, live with eternal life/You embody the people’s call [Neda].”

On March 20, 2011, to mark the Iranian new year, US President Barak Obama issued a message to the people of Iran, quoting Simin Behbahani: “Old, I may be, but, given the chance, I will learn. I will begin a second youth alongside my progeny. I will recite the Hadith of love of country with such fervor as to make each word bear life.” Obama called Behbahani “a woman who has been banned from traveling beyond Iran, even though her words have moved the world.”

Behbahani’s protests were not limited to her poetry. She participated in rallies supporting causes important to her. Once security agents beat her during a protest staged by women in Daneshjou Park. And when women staged a sit-in in front of parliament to protest against legislation that they believed trampled on their rights, she joined them despite her advanced years.

Behbahani received several awards for her activities in support of human rights, including the 1998 Human Rights Watch Hellman-Hammet Grant and the 2006 Norwegian Authors' Union Freedom of Expression Prize.

In March 2010, she planned to travel to Paris for necessary medical treatment and to deliver an address on the occasion of International Women’s Day. As she was about to board the plane for Paris, she was detained and interrogated throughout the night, although she was in her eighties and nearly blind. Her passport was seized and she was banned from traveling abroad.

Behbahani died at the age of 87 on August 19, 2014 after spending 13 days in a coma. Literary figures and many young fans of her poetry attended her funeral, and social media websites were flooded with praise for her and celebration of her work. Official Islamic Republic radio and television did not even report her death, which was not unexpected, given that she was not a favorite of the Islamic Republic regime, especially among hardliners. Jahan News, a hardline Iranian website, once characterized Behbahani’s writing as treasonous: “Her poetry, with its slanderous and scandalous way of addressing Iranians, only serves to make Iran’s enemies happy.”

But as long as she was alive, Behbahani did not stop defending the undefended and standing up against injustice.

For millions of Iranians inside the country and abroad, Simin Behbahani was the “eloquent voice of conscience,” according to Farzaneh Milani, a scholar of Persian literature at the University of Virginia. “She was the elegant voice of dissent, of conscience, of non-violence, of the refusal to be ideological.”

Realated articles:

A Poet Who Stayed, A Nation’s Conscience

[greencarnation]

Siamak Namazi is an American-Iranian dual national. He has recently started a hunger strike and has been in Evin prison since 2015 under accusations of espionage. This is an act of hostage diplomacy.

[sparkleofstardust]

in light of the recent news that Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has been found dead after a helicopter crash you might be wondering 'who the hell is this guy and why are so many people celebrating his death??' and i'm here to answer that!

to fully understand what's going on we need to look into Iran's history: when the Iranian revolution in 1979 happened the authoritarian king who was ruling at that time was overthrown, but the ensuing power vacuum lead to the islamic regime seizing power and establishing Iran as an islamic republic

the following years were incredibly cruel to the Iranian people; thousands of people (especially minorities) have been protesting against the strict islamic regime leading to many being jailed, tortured and executed.

and this is where Raisi played a big part: in 1988 he was part of a committee that ordered the execution of thousands of political prisoners who were protesting the islamic regime, earning himself the title of "the butcher of tehran"

do not be fooled by what the state media wants you to believe, the Iranian people are celebrating his death. he was a cruel mass murderer who has destroyed the lives of thousands of people, his death should be used as a time to mourn for all the suffering he has caused, and bring new attention to the political prisoners still being held in Iranian prisions today

because sadly the fight is far from over. many of you have probably heard of the murder of Mahsa Jina Amini back in 2022, causing a new wave of nationwide protests and establishing the "woman, life, freedom" movement. the regime has gotten increasingly cruel in their treatment of the Iranian people, especially women, but the people of Iran are not deterred and keep fighting for a free Iran.

if you want to know how you can help, please keep talking about us. the one thing the regime hates is international attention, and in the past it has been proven that international pressure has stopped the regime from executing various political prisoners. people like Toomaj Salehi are under imminent threat of execution and spreading their names could save their lives. so whether you share social media posts or talk to your family and friends about what is happening in Iran, anything helps 🙏🏼

jin, jiyan, azadi ✌🏼

[jewish-sideblog]

Clearly, y'all don't care about Jews, and the fact that Hamas is violently antisemitic doesn't seem matter to any of you. So let me go with a new approach, of equal truth and value. Hamas is violently anti-Palestinian.

This past week, Hamas attacked evacuation routes and prevented Gazan citizens from fleeing an active warzone. [1]

They did that because they routinely use Gazan civilians as human shields. Hamas intentionally builds military targets close to schools, hospitals, and mosques, putting soft targets in the way of both incoming and outgoing fire. Hamas encourages Gazan civilians and children to stand on the roofs of buildings they know the IDF is targeting. [2]

Hamas has refused to allow elections in Gaza since 2006. Not just Palestinian National Authority elections, mind you. No open elections for any office have been held in seventeen years. Palestinian rights to free elections and self-determination have been denied by Hamas. [3] (And good luck to anyone who tries to blame that on Israel, because elections were held by the PNA in the West Bank in 2012, 2017, 2021 and 2022. It's Hamas's intention alone to purge democracy.)

Hamas's track record on human rights is appalling. Palestinian prisoners in Gaza face unfair trials and death sentences after being tortured by police. Palestinian women are prevented from accessing the legal systems to escape domestic abuse situations. Political dissidents in Hamas, even ones who merely support the other half of the Palestinian government, have been summarily executed. [4] [5]

Peaceful organizers in Palestine protested Hamas's massive tax hikes in 2019. Hamas security forces responded by assaulting demonstrators, tracking them down, raiding their homes, and detaining them. And, as previously mentioned, prisoners in Gaza are not treated well by Hamas. [6]

Edit Nov.5, 10:30 PM: I forgot to add arguably the most important thing-- Hamas manipulates the humanitarian aid they receive away from helping Gazans and toward killing Jews. 5% of Hamas's budget actually gets used for humanitarian aid, while 55% goes to military use. Construction equipment intended to rebuild Gaza's crumbling infrastructure is used to build a complex series of underground tunnels. Those tunnels in turn are used to smuggle Iranian military equipment into the country. They were also used for human trafficking in the October 7th attacks. [7]

If you actually want Palestinians to be free, you can't just replace Israel with Hamas. But it's not like they're the only option for supporting Palestinian liberation. While Fatah doesn't have an immaculate historical track record, it now operates as a leftist, democratic socialist, secular Palestinian government that fights for a two-state solution. Similarly, Arab-Israeli political parties like the Hadash-Ta'al coalition support leftist, anti-Zionist, and two-state solutions from within the Israeli parliament.

You can and should support Palestinian liberation movements that abuse neither Jewish nor Arab human rights and dignities. Plenty of them exist out there. But if y'all continue to throw your weight behind an antisemitic and anti-democratic terrorist regime, Palestinians and Jews will both take note of exactly where you stand.

[luminalunii97]

TW: graphic violence

Today in my sister's university, the university morality guard that checks students' clothes to see if they're modest enough to enter, attacked one of the students for not cooperating and damaged her clothing. In protest, she took off all of her clothes and walked around campus in her underwear until they called for backup force. After attacking her again using more violence and force, they pushed her into a car and took her god knows where.

A few months ago, two 14 year old girls were attacked by morality police in the streets of Tehran for not wearing headscarfs. One of them was severely beaten and was released with a broken nose. The police guard who broke her nose had the audacity to press charges against her family because of a broken finger!

These are two heartbreaking examples of what is happening to women in Iran. This is the physical and mental violence iranian women have to endure every day. This is why you should not support Iran's regime under any circumstance. This is why you shouldn't assume women can have a decent life in Iran as long as this violent misogynistic regime is in charge. Mandatory hijab is just one of the fronts the regime uses violence on women.

[whencartoonsruletheworld]

ok gang where do i fucking start

the oversexualization of women of color (yara shahidi is black, choctaw and iranian)

how a blasian-indigenous woman existing (she is in only 2-3 shots of the trailer, all of which she is just sitting there or standing and smiling, not doing anything) is more sexual than the 50s white tinkerbell having an entire scene dedicated to her staring at her own ass

yara shahidi turned twenty-three this month, and filming took place from march-august 2021, with reshoots in february 2-8 2022, right before her 22nd birthday, so she was TWENTY-ONE while filming. a lot of people on twt rn are bringing up the 2003 peter pan as a comparison– which is fair, it slaps– but their (white) tinkerbell was ~twenty-four. once upon a time’s (white) tinker bell was also ~twenty-four when her first season aired. the original plans for a live-action peter pan would have contracted reese witherspoon to play tink, who is in her late forties.

there are other things to complain about without being racist, you know. bitch about how they, once again, need to turn on a fucking light so we can see shit. how they should saturate literally anything. but for the love of god, disney’s tink* being a woc is not the end of the world

*there are ofc obvious concerns with the original book and film’s Tink being the “sassy, jealous, impulsive one”, but from the trailer it seems that they are leaning more towards her late 2000s-early 2010s more sanitized characterization. We see that the bit of her tricking the Lost Boys into shooting Wendy down has been replaced by the pirates hitting Wendy instead, so likely her jealousy will be severely downplayed if not removed completely.

[eretzyisrael]

by Giulio Meotti

There were shameful scenes at a Women's Rights Day demonstration in Munich's Marienplatz. Palestinian flags everywhere. Israeli flags were not welcome. Left-wing and pro-Palestinian groups insulted and pushed several Jewish women. Among the participants was the president of the Jewish community of Munich, Charlotte Knobloch (a Holocaust survivor).

Same scenes in Paris. Insults, attempted aggression, threats, and throwing of projectiles, the pro-Israeli collectives had to be exfiltrated from the Paris demonstration organized on the occasion of International Women's Rights Day. "We heard slogans like 'dirty Jews,' 'Nazis,' 'Israeli murderers,'" Mélanie Pauli-Geysse, president of No Silence, told Le Point.

No media or feminist organization in Europe is following the testimonies reported by the survivors of the family of Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, the caliph of Daesh.

Eggs, broken bottles, rubber bullets. "It was then that the situation worsened, we were only able to walk a few minutes before being exfiltrated by the police for our safety."

In L'Express, Sarah Barukh wrote: "There were Iranian, Afghan, Israeli, Pakistani, Yazidi, and others. We denounce the devastation of apartheid imposed by radical Islamism. We stand alongside women who are victims of barbaric traditions such as excision, in France and elsewhere." Next to her, Mona Jafarian, who fled from Iran, and Father Desbois, a Catholic priest who returned from Ukraine and recounted his life with Yazidi women, his arrest in Iraq, and his death sentence in several countries designated as lands of Islam because "I expressed words of sympathy towards the Jews."

Meanwhile, the Algerian writer Kamel Daoud writes that no media or feminist organization in Europe is following the testimonies reported by the survivors of the family of Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, the caliph of Daesh. His daughter, his wives, his sexual slaves are interviewed on Saudi TV to talk about the caliph.

"No relaunch in newspapers or platforms, no analysis, no echo," writes Daoud. "Western neo-feminism, crumbling into particularisms, is indifferent to this 'Muslim' scene where the condition of millions of women parades, beyond digital screens and the effects of ideological bubbles."

A forced tour should then be immediately organized to the Hamas cages under Gaza where Hamas is holding Israeli female hostages. And for those who don't feel like it, there is still the exhibition in London in which the conditions of imprisonment of the Israelis were recreated based on the testimonies of those who were exchanged in November.

Nothing seems to interfere with the ideological excitement these old and perverse peacocks derive from a barbarism they mistake for rebellion.

There is a pathological reluctance across the West to believe that Hamas has raped and mutilated women. "It didn't happen" or "where is the proof?" The speed with which these people went from saying "believe women" and #MeToo to "show the rape photos or it didn't happen" is mind-blowing.

Rape denial is so widespread that some have felt compelled to take to the streets to raise awareness of Hamas's sexual crimes. British Jews and their (few) allies gathered near BBC headquarters to say "rape is not resistance." Some wore jogging bottoms with stains between the legs, in solidarity with Naama Levy, the 19-year-old Israeli woman seen in that very state shortly after the Hamas pogrom.

The West went from "believe women" to "believe terrorists."

Nothing seems to interfere with the ideological excitement these old and perverse peacocks derive from a barbarism they mistake for rebellion in an unholy marriage of Western self-loathing and Islamic Jihad. They are willing to do anything to save the most squalid moral vanity and be able to continue selling us their "goodness." Except that it is really evil.

[adorawasright]

Don’t forget, Sea Hawk is also apparently Asian. I also thought Frost might be Asian at first bc she kinda looks… maybe stereotypical isn’t the exact word, but just like what comes to mind when you think of a little Asian girl. Not to mention, she was originally designed as a white (Nordic coded?) teenager for this show before they decided to age her down into the little sister character. Never mind the fact the little sister character already existed in the old series with Glimmer and Allegra, and they could have done something with that, but I digress. I’ve also seen some people say Angella is Indian coded, because of the accent and her voice actress. Or maybe it’s because they think her gem is reminiscent of a bindi?

But yeah, idk about Perfuma, Entrapta, or Spinnerella. I think Perfuma could be latina because if the actress? But the character gives off the vibes of such a essential oils Karen that I associate with entitled white women, to the point I think she might just be a tanned white woman? Though I’ll admit, when I first saw her design I considered black and white biracial, and I considered Pacific Islander. So I have no idea. I’ve also seen some people interpret Entrapta as black. Though, I doubt it based on the hair alone. I like to think she’s latina, simply because I want her as my Latin rep, and not the literal cat. As for Spinnerella, I got nothing. Maybe white? All I know is that Huntara should have been black, and isn’t even coded as black. And I think that’s dumb, because I would have loved buff, queer, gets-a-character-arc Grace Jones in this show, since we didn’t get to have it in the old one.

Okay, hold on. I had no idea Sea Hawk was apparently half-Asian. I had to look this up. It was "confirmed" (as in, on Twitter) by the lead character designer for SPOP, who also "confirmed" Scorpia as half-Asian as well. However, I'm pretty sure Frosta is supposed to be Inuk like Katara, but I don't think that was ever confirmed. I could be wrong. I'm not even sure where her kingdom is located, for that matter. The worldbuilding in SPOP sucks so badly I barely remember how the kingdoms were like, save for Perfuma's and maybe Mermista's.

Idk, man. I honestly don't think that much about most characters' ethnicities, because the SPOP crew clearly didn't put a lot of thought into it. I mean, the literal cat teenager who licks herself, who walks on fours, who bites and claws people, who hisses and hates water, and who's sexualized on top of it all, is supposed to be Latina. Or Iranian or Middle Eastern, because apparently OG Catra came from "Purrsia", which is like... the Persian Empire? And fans really want to apply that to the reboot, too. Except Catra's origins were never brought up in SPOP, only that Catra was found abandoned in a cardboard box according to Nate. Regardless, neither theories are great because both Latinas and Iranian women (and Middle Eastern women in general) are not treated like people. They're sexualized and are victims of colonization. I've heard people headcanon Catra as Indigenous, too. Which is even worse considering she got her hair cut against her will.

As for the other characters... I just don't care, lmao. I will agree that Huntara should've been black, too. But since the SPOP crew didn't care about developing their kingdoms and their origins, then I don't think that hard. I mainly mention and dissect "Latina" Catra because the fandom won't shut up about her. Idk about Entrapta's ethnicity, but if Latina Entrapta makes you happy, go for it. Especially because Latin America is pretty diverse, so there are a lot of possibilities.

I don't agree with the term Karen, though. I get what you mean, that Perfuma is annoying and ableist and treats other people like garbage, but sadly that's another term that actual misogynists use against any women who get angry. But I know that's not your intention, I get where you come from.

[wordsmithic]

It's always so funny to me that people on booktok will romanticize male characters with dark skin but it's always described in "olive skin" "tanned" similar to middle east, yet they refuse to make a book about these countries 😂

"He was tall, with big muscles, his skin the colour of olive with strong jawline" like stoooop its like Acotar all over again.

It's always the same also because i saw your Raphael and it's exactly what many should have done but noooo they always make it about fantasy while "coincidentally" enough they resemble middle east man.

Did you know, anon, that "tall, dark and handsome" started as a code for "Greek", "Italian", "Latino", "Native American" etc? Those male characters were not ethnically "Greek", "Italian", "Latino", "Native American" etc, tho! The reason is, WASP women found the "rugged/dangerous/exotic" man exciting, but at the time those minorities were not seen favorably in Northern nations. Hence, their stories only kept the look minus the ethnicity, plus, the stereotype that those men lacked gentleness and basic courtesy, and they were more daring than their boring WASP husbands.

It's a very tricky situation with Northern Europeans and Americans, because for them, "dark" for a caucasian person either means "a person with a light tan" (because they have a weird fixation on tans sometimes, as they cannot achieve them that easily) or "incredibly dark" (because they cannot fathom other darker shades in between).

Oh, and they always forget that "olive" is a complexion found in almost every country on earth! It's just how much green your skin undertone is! The palest Dutch person can have an olive skin tone! Not every Northerner is super red or deadly pale! And people with olive skin do not necessarily tan! "Olive" is not synonymous with melanin or tanning! It's so weird that they've reduced "olive" to a specific color, or a small range of colors.

It's mind-boggling to me that the concept of a tan causes them such confusion! 😂 Mainly because this confusion can be solved very easily with a simple Google search nowadays! I realize I am also generalizing Northerners for brevity's sake, but please know I am not referring to individuals, only trends in their societies that I observe.

And, now to the elephant in the room. They'd rather change how (for example) the Greek population looks to meet the quota for what they consider "satisfactory diversity" of appearance, rather than use people from an ethnic group where those tones are more easily found! That's so hypocritical! And racist, duh!!

I think they know another reason why they do it. They consider cultures like Greek and Italian to be synonymous with their cultures, hence they can use them as they please and treat our people as placeholders. These cultures do not see them as foreign to them, after centuries of misappropriating them and presenting them like their own heritage. Meanwhile, they suddenly think "Omg I cannot write an Iranian/Iraqi, Egyptian character because that's not my culture!" Bitch, Greek is not your culture either! 😂 Your people will probably call the police when they see a Greek get-together!! 😂 So just accept it's a foreign culture and people, do your research, and you'll be fine!

Side note: Raphael is an original Persian Iranian character of mine. He's on the light-skinned side because he has the look of the Persian groups that came from the Caspian steppe, before the Persian Empire was established. His skin tone may vary depending on the season and the lighting. (He's a shapeshifter, hence the various ages)

Raphael by 1. @wolfssketches and 2. @shellsnroses (where he is with my Greek character, Ismene, who actually has OLIVE skin and looks dead at all times xD) The only "olive" on Raphael is his olive green eyes lol (because he's a dramatic bitch and he wants to be special in more than one ways)

Meanwhile, his bodyguard, Firuz, is a Persianized Elamite with darker skin, as he comes from the far Southern populations of what is now Iran. I think he fits the "He was tall, with big muscles, his skin the colour of olive with strong jawline" booktok fantasy 😂

Firuz by 1. @wolfssketches and 2. chadwickvo (The headwrap is based on depictions of Persian warriors in ancient Macedonian frescoes, I promise it's not because of a vague "Middle Eastern Aesthetic" xD) His eyes are filled with white light because, like Raphael, he is not a Human but he is a shapeshifter. (Almost no one is a Human in my book, including my Greek characters)

Thank you if you made it this far!! 💜

[punkboyjack]

The shit lie of SRS in Iran

So it's a something stuck in my brain ( and my life ) that I think people need to know about it is the thing about LGBTQ+ people in Iran especially T because I'm trans and it's little too much complicated in iran

Bing trans in Iran has some benefits in look but it's a lie

We are known as mentally ill people

We have the same problems as any other LGBTQ+ person in the world but with a higher rate

Most of the time, they give strong psychedelic drugs and hormones to trans children ( or just LGBT childrens )

And I was so paranoid about it that I wouldn't take any of the psychiatrists' pills when I was depressed (my parents don't know that I just got better somehow and no one doubt about it)

The Iranian government also monitors online transgender communities, often subjecting them to censorship, and police routinely arrest trans people

Unfortunately most Iranian parents like boys so trans woman's are badly treated almost 92% of trans women in Iran faced verbal or emotional violence and over 70% had faced physical violence

And the rate of murder and attempted suicide among trans people in Iran is high (mostly trans women).

and that really sad bcz one of the trans woman's that a used to know have Ben send to who knows where for the military training by her dad because ( HE was not man enough)

1_pre surgery is hell : we go on a all girl / all boy schools and I think it's like Catholic schools over there

And people don't respect us we mostly have problem finding friends we don't have the From the social point of view, it is almost impossible to identify ourselves as transgender because the government has strictly separated men and women. I didn't really know what my problem was until I was 13 years old

Worst and most important part is telling our parents that we are trans and they should support us because all the work of the license is done with the consent of the family and even one of Iranian actors (Maziar Lorestani) had to wait 56 years until his father passed away and he was finally able to take HRT just think about it you are a 56 years old person a total mature and you can't do it without your father permission and don't forget they are totally free to rather kill you or throw you at the streets to rot

2_ the surgery is chipper here (it's a lie ) -> we spent Soo much money and time ( and mental health) on permission to do surgery and most of people who do this surgeries are not even have expertise in this work And they have long-term side effects that are not good at all

first submitted to a long and invasive process

including virginity tests ( idk whyyy)

formal parental approval ( I told you)

, psychological ( it's just the worst part you can't imagine how terrible this psychologists are )

inspection by the Family Court ( like a god damn criminal )

If we don do the HRT step by step we are basically nothing to them and Thay don't give a fuck about us unless we did something wrong or something and then we are basically dead as hell

Like let's say you are a heterosexual trans men who don't want to do a surgery and you have girlfriend who loves you and respect's you

Will no you don't you are just a lesbian to them and will if they found out what's between your legs you and your gf are going to be executed I'm not joking

3_After surgery, is hard as hell : discrimination, from the law, the state, and from the people around us

Given the lowest quality of hormone therapy, we usually do not have reliable sources for it . Surgery under the hands of non-specialists causes dangerous side effects, and if we are imprisoned, we will no longer get hormones

And not so fun fact : Most of the gay people in Iran are recognized as transgender and they have to tell us about the process because otherwise they will be executed. For the government, changing their gender of poor gay people shows a better face than killing them

And yeah rest of your gay life you are just unfortunate person stuck in a person of your own body

Bruh I read it all over and I'm not even close to the realty it's too much

[whileiamdying]

Iranian Women you Should Know: Jinous Nemat Mahmoudi

Global and Iranian history are both closely intertwined with the lives and destinies of prominent figures. Every one of them has laid a brick on history’s wall, sometimes paying the price with their lives, men and women alike. Women have been especially influential in the past 200 years, writing much of contemporary Iranian history.

In Iran, women have increased public awareness about gender discrimination, raised the profile of and improved women’s rights, fought for literacy among women, and promoted the social status of women by counteracting religious pressures, participating in scientific projects, being involved in politics, influencing music, cinema... And so the list goes on.

This series aims to celebrate these renowned and respected Iranian women. They are women who represent the millions of women that influence their families and societies on a daily basis. Not all of the people profiled in the series are endorsed by IranWire, but their influence and impact cannot be overlooked. The articles are biographical stories that consider the lives of influential women in Iran.

Jinous Nemat Mahmoudi was the first Iranian woman to be appointed as the head of the National Meteorological Organization. She was born in 1929 in Tehran and was the daughter of Kamale Ajzachi, a teacher, and Abbass Nemat, who was best known for establishing the printing process gravure in Iran, but was also a writer who contributed to a range of newspapers and publications. Under the Shah, Nemat published Tehran Mosavar magazine, one of the country’s oldest and most popular magazines.

Mahmoudi’s passion was science and nature. She was a great lover of the mountains and the countryside. In fact, she was so fond of Alborz that “creating the largest robust treasure of human sciences and civilization” was her primary concern. She wanted to collect every document that related to science and civilization, pre-historic animals, scientific discoveries and speeches by prominent scientific and historical figures into one place, and aimed to store the research on microfilm. “We, as Iranians, must have a role in safeguarding and protecting the world’s science and heritage.”

It was her university degrees in physics and meteorology, alongside her calm and strong-willed character, that led to her success and scientific achievements. During his reign, Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi came to rely on Mahmoudi as the country’s most distinguished specialized meteorologist.

She began her career as a weather forecaster and theoretical teacher of Asian meteorological and climate studies and was appointed to the first meteorological school in the country. Her last post was as the head of the National Meteorological Organization, which at the time was a branch of the Defence Ministry. She was effectively the deputy Defence Minister, the equivalent of an army general. She also represented Iran at international conferences.

“I remember when we were in Iran, my mother stood in her meteorological office in Tehran Mehrabad Airport watching the sky and telling me that whatever I do in meteorology, I do for my love of this country and its people,” her daughter Mona recalled.

But her love for meteorology, the mountains and the sea was not confined to her professional career alone. She was also the first person in Iran to begin research on solar energy and its potential in producing heat and was in charge of the Iranian Atlas Project.

Alongside her career and numerous work trips, she also fought to secure equal rights for women. Mahmoudi was a member of Zonta (the Association for Educated Women for Peace), secretary of the Deyhim Peace association and chaired the board of directors for the Women’s Association of Roads and Meteorological Ministry.

It was during this time that Houshang Mahmoudi, the country’s first children’s radio presenter and a documentary filmmaker, came into Mahmoudi's life. They were married and had three children, Aryana, Mona and Artin.

Shortly after the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Mahmoudi became a victim of the new Islamic government’s policies towards Baha’is.

After the establishment of religious rule, the new regime showed no regard for the Mahmoudis’ scientific expertise, but instead targeted the couple for their religion. Jinous Nemat Mahmoudi was quickly fired from her job because she was a Baha’i. She and her husband were forced to live in secret, underground. They had, luckily, previously sent their children abroad to study. Then, in August 1980, Houshang Mahmoudi disappeared and was never seen again.

The early days of the revolution saw the execution of people belonging to the Baha’i faith. Members of local and national Baha’i circles either disappeared or were arrested by the state. Several were executed. Jinous Mahmoudi became a member of the Tehran National Circle and following this, the head of the National Religious Circle. She was active in several Baha’i committees, including the Tehran National Circle, where she was the deputy leader. Although her life was in jeopardy, she continued to visit Baha’i prisoners and their families.  Revolutionary guards eventually arrested her on December 14, 1981 while she was visiting a Baha’i association member.

The authorities never published any information about the reasons for her arrest, her trial or the court’s final verdict. A single document on the case is available, which was published by the general prosecutor of the Islamic Revolutionary Court on December 28, 1981. According to this, Jinous Mahmoudi and seven other Baha’is were convicted by Tehran’s Islamic Revolutionary Court and sentenced to death on charges of “spying.”

Jinous Mahmoudi was executed in Iran a year and a half after the disappearance of her husband, without the knowledge of her family. They later found her anonymous grave in Kofrabad in Behesht Zahra cemetery after unofficially being informed of her death.

Sources

Interview with Mona Mahmoudi, daughter of Jinous and Houshang Mahmoudi/Interview with Jinous Mahmoudi in Zan-e Rooz magazine, 1976 /Diary of Jinous Mahmoudi, Boroumand Foundation.

Read the original in Persian.

[angelmelon]

So I was tryna figure out: how would the Younique staff fit into my little story?? Several of the characters have pretty cute looks, I didn’t wanna throw em away or make them terfs

well, solution!! For at least a couple of em, anyway.

reminder that TERFs literally CANNOT ALWAYS TELL that people are trans… they are so often wrong it is comical. A TERF bar could more than likely let in trans women without knowing or batting an eye… in my rewrite, Younique only profiled Ginger, Cherish, and Kaiya because they were so open and proud. Often why TERFs pick us trans folk out to begin with!! If you’re too proud, too open, too showy, they’ll try to take ya down. It sucks, but it’s why I’m so proud to be me. I’m so proud of my transgender siblings, because everyday we face the worst from society, and here we are, still standing.

I did change up Shanzay and Parniya’s styles quite abit… god, you can tell that there’s only *one* kind of lesbian Rusty thinks should exist. The diversity of women is a beautiful thing, and I wanted to show just how differently these two butch lesbians can present themselves, because there is more than one type of butch lesbian. (RUSTY.) People should dress how they’re comfortable, however the amount of characters were supposed to like who have the exact, plain style bothers me. People look different, even those within the same subcultures and similar presentations. I want to highlight that!!

Anyway, on to the character bios!!

Shanzay Binti Meriam!! Malaysian-Australian She/They, Transfeminine lesbian

Shanzay used to go to Younique with her girlfriend Parniya regularly, speaking with other regulars who took no issue with their trans identities. Shanzay is a confident woman who runs women’s martial arts classes with her girlfriend and her mother, Meriam. Unfortunately, after learning of the hateful incident at Younique regarding the GAP gang, Shanzay, Parniya, and several other regulars were horrified to learn of the hateful nature of a staff member of Younique. They took the issue to the owner, only to learn that this is standard behavior for the staff, and that a large majority of the staff are loud and proud transphobes. Shanzay and Parniya felt completely horrified that their less cis passing sisters went through this, not to mention that they had given their patronage to such a hateful business. They rallied many Younique regulars to take their leave, and to give their support to the GAP gang, giving their money to the PayPlease fund that would eventually help the girls open up GAP, their trans friendly nightclub. Shanzay now works for GAP as a bouncer, and is good friends with Kaiya particularly, bonding over their shared pride and love for their families.

Parniya Amira Gallus!! Iranian-Australian She/her, Transfeminine intersex lesbian

Standing at nearly 6’8, being transgender and intersex, and suffering from chemical burns at a young age, Parniya is not a very average looking woman. She is very quiet and mellow, and doesn’t wish to draw much attention to herself. Because of her wallflower nature, it’s no shock that the transphobic staff of Younique looked right past her and her girlfriend Shanzay whenever they walked in. Parniya identifies as a butch lesbian, though she still embraces her feminine side often. After finding out about Younique’s transphobia against the GAP gang, Parniya was particularly shaken. Even after rallying other regulars to leave with her and Shanzay, Parniya doesn’t go out nearly as often anymore. She wears much more makeup now, perhaps in an attempt to pass more, like she believes she will run into Younique staff again. Parniya does remote graphic design for GAP, and as a result is well acquainted with Theodosia, and has quickly become good friends with her. They bond over a shared love of old princess stories, as well as their passion for art and other women.

[luminalunii97]

A while ago, the first season of the Voice Of Persia was aired. Of course the competition took place outside of Iran, and only those who have immigrated could participate.

In the last couple of decades, Persian music have been in a slumber. Music is kind of forbidden in Iran because the regime deems it anti Islamic. Women aren't aloud to sing at all and men can only sing in specific genre and topics that the regime considers appropriate. It's understandable why good music, with a couple of exceptions, wasn't being made and new talents were being buried.

So the voice of Persia was a great opportunity to showcase new talents who have managed to skip Iran.

Anyway, I said all of this to get to this song. The finalist and winner of the competition performed this song on the show and I realized even though I knew the original singer for years (he's a political singer and had to flee Iran years ago), I somehow missed this poetic piece. So I've been obsessed with it ever since. I wanted to share it with y'all.

This is a protest/critical song with some symbolizations. The lyrics are from Iranian poet, Yaghma Golrouee. He's also the lyricist of the song Our Dream. The song came out about 10 years ago. I added explanations for the lyrics in parentheses:

Driving Drunkenly by Shahin Najafi

من یه گلایلم که تو این سرزمین شوم

راهم به قبر و سنگ گرانیت میرسه

I'm a Gladiolus flower who in this ill fated land

Find my way to a grave and granite gravestone

(In Persian culture gladiolus is used in funerals and to visit graveyards. It's the flower of the dead)

هر روز به قتل میرسم و شعر من فقط

به انتشار شعله کبریت میرسه

I get murdered everyday and my poem only

reaches to spread the match's fire

دردم هزار ساله مثه درده حافظه

درمونشم همونیه که کشف رازیه

My pain is a thousand years old pain like Hafez's pain (a Persian poet)

The cure is Razi's discovery (alcohol)

نسلی که سر سپرده عصر حجر شده

به ساقیای ارمنیه پیر راضیه

وقتی که زندگی یه تئاتر مزخرفه

تنها به جرعه های فراموشی دلخوشم

The generation who became a devotee of the stone ages

Is now happy with the old Armenian wine dealers

When life is a trashy theatrical show

I only find comfort in to-forget gulps

راسکول نیکف یه پیرزنو شقه کرده و من

با اون تبر فرشته الهامو میکشم…

Raskolnikov chopped an old lady but I

would kill the angel of revelation with that axe

هی مست میکنم مثه یه بطری شراب

که وقتی پاش بیفته یه کوکتل مولوتوفه

I get drunk like a wine bottle

that would turn into Molotov cocktail when the need arises

یه مجرم فراری شدم که تو زندگیش

درگیر یه گریز بدون توقفه

I became a wanted criminal who in life

he's stuck in a fatal car chase (x2)

فرقی نداره جادۀ چالوس و راه قم

من مستی ام که خوش داره رانندگی کنه

There's no difference between Chalus Road (a touristic road) and highway to Qom (a religious city) for me

I'm a drunk who likes to drive

یه ماهی که تو آکواریوم زار میزنه

تا توی اشکهای خودش زندگی کنه

I'm a fish who is crying in an aquarium

So that he can live in his own tears

باید تلو تلو بخوری این زمونه رو

وقتی که مست نیستی به بن بست میرسی

You should stumble drunkenly in this life

Because when you're not drunk you reach a dead end

تو مستی آدما دوباره مهربون میشن

حتی برادرای توی ایست بازرسی

When you're drunk people are kind again

Even the brothers (police officers) in roadside checkpoints

میخندن و به دست تو دستبند میزنن

راهو برای بردن تو باز میکنن

They laugh while they're handcuffing you

They clear the way to take you

تو دام مورچه ها به سلیمان بدل میشی

قالیچه ها بدون تو پرواز میکنن

In ants presence you become the Solomon

The carpets fly without you

این بار چندمه که ب�� یه جرم مشترک

هشتاد تا ضربه پشت تو هاشور میزنه؟

How many times for the same crime,

Your back has been shaded in with 80 counts of hits?

(The punishment for drinking alcohol is 80 lashes)

برگرد خونه حتی اگه با خبر باشی

تنها دل خودت برای تو شور میزنه…

Come back home even if you know

You are the only one who gets worried about you

تو یه گلایلی و تو این سرزمین شوم

راهت به قبرو سنگ گرانیت میرسه

You are a gladiolus and in this ill fated land

You find your way to a grave and granite gravestone

هر روز به قتل میرسی و شعر تو فقط

به انتشار شعله کبریت میرسه

You get murdered everyday and your poem only

reaches to spread match's fire

هی مست میکنی مثه یه بطری شراب

که وقتی پاش بیافته یه کوکتل مولوتوفه

You get drunk like a bottle of wine

That will turn into a Molotov cocktail when the need arises

یه مجرم فراری شدی که تو زندگیش

درگیر یه گریز بدون توقفه

You are a wanted criminal who in life

Is stuck in a deadly car chase (x2)

Ps; If you're interested in checking the voice of Persia I recommend watching Amin yahyazadeh, the winner who is the main vocalist of an English language metal band. Also Maria who is a new female rock singer.

Ps2; drunk driving stands for living in defiance of the regime./ Killing the angel of revelation is the poets disdain for religious ideologies./ Deadly car chase is the dangerous life of an opposition./ The generation who became the devotees of the stone ages are the people who in 1979 revolution rooted for today's theocracy. And now they beg for the scraps of the freedom they willingly gave up./

Hafez is one of the greatest Persian poets who used wine and drinking metaphorically a lot in his poems. I guess this poet was inspired by that./ Razi was a Persian physician, philosopher and alchemist who discovered a way to extract alcohol from fermented materials./ Getting drunk like a bottle of wine that could turn into Molotov cocktail means living in defiance of the regime and also be ready to fight it actively./ The surface meaning of the poem about drinking and getting punished is valid too.

That's all I could think of in case you missed any metaphor or double meanings.

[catholockhart]

Dear reader,

My name is Corinne, and it is a sincere pleasure to meet you.  Allow me to tell you a bit about me: 

I grew up in a small town in Illinois, and have moved throughout the state a handful of times in the past decade.  I once hated my small town, and all of the negative memories it held for me.  As I grew up, though, my outlook changed; I now miss the life I had then, and appreciate the town’s beauty.

I am an ex-pagan, now Catholic convert.  I was a dedicated pagan, having had altars, and performed countless rituals (no, they did not involve sacrifice of any kind).  After years of searching, I’ve now found peace in my religion.  This being said, I don’t believe in shoving religion down other’s throats.  While some of my posts will be aimed toward those of you who are Christian, it is in no means an attempt to forcefully convert others. 

I am a supporter of women’s rights through and through.  I believe in complimenting others for the sake of being kind, but that these compliments should always be genuine.  

I love [nearly all] animals, and volunteered with my local Human Society in my youth.  I don’t know how we didn’t wind up with a zoo in our home, but I found joy in getting to see the critters every day!

I’m studying English and working toward licensure in Secondary Education at the moment. 

I am an enormous One Direction fan, and yes, I have been heartbroken by Liam’s recent passing.  Yes, I’m going to keep my One Direction playlist up for a bit.

I’m a poetry fanatic, and enjoy writing long journal entries and songs in my free time.  I don’t know anything about music (when it comes to production), so I highly doubt much will ever come of the latter.

I am a history buff, especially when it comes to European history (800s - 1800).  

Lastly, and you’d likely never guess this if you saw me, I have quite a mixed ancestry.  On my mother’s side, we are Seneca, Italian, Iranian, and Scottish.  On my father’s side, we are English, Welsh, Irish, and Finnish.  I was not lucky enough to get any of the “tan” genes, unfortunately, but I did get hemophilia passed down to me–what a gift.

That about sums up the key aspects of my life; You’ll certainly learn more about my beliefs, behaviors, and thoughts regarding various aspects of life through my writings.  I am always open to questions, concerns, and comments–positive or negative.  

I hope for this to be a space in which we may all learn from one another. x 

[burningtheroots]

JK Rowling is not a flawless feminist, but she does more good than those who attack her

I myself criticized JK Rowling because the Harry Potter book series is very male-centric and sometimes struggles to get certain messages across. I won’t elaborate further because, either way, her story and writing are still excellent and her success was well-deserved. And most of the people who now tear her apart wouldn’t do it if she hadn’t been "transphobic".

And I also know that JK Rowling isn’t a flawless feminist, but I want to ask you in return: WHO IS?

JK Rowling has expressed sympathy, respect and love for the trans community and only wants to ensure women‘s sex-based (!) rights and protections. Women are a socioeconomic and political class due to their biological reality, whereas gender is a social construct. It‘s not hateful or bigotry to discuss the experiences of being female.

She has received rape and death threats, repeatedly, got her achievements torn apart and is regularly encountered with misogynistic slurs. Trans rights activists (TRAs) want to silence and intimidate her by any means. And TRAs already do the same with women who don’t have access to the protections JK Rowling can afford — which she also acknowledged, and which is also why she doesn‘t back down.

If violence and misogyny are the "solution", then the "problem" is that what she says is true.

And regardless of what you think of the endless TRA vs. 'TERF' debate, what matters more is what JK Rowling has actually done for women & girls in real life.

✖️ While TRAs invalidate women‘s sex-based rights and oppression, and even forced the cancellation/postponing of the symposium backing Iranian and Afghan women because there was a woman present who has gender critical views (https://reduxx.info/france-violent-trans-activists-force-cancellation-of-symposium-supporting-afghan-and-iranian-women/) although Iranian and Afghan women have nothing to do with it and are in extreme danger and exposed to massive human rights violations, JK Rowling has advocated for Iranian & Afghan women and also donated thousands of dollars to support female lawyers and their families who face death in Afghanistan.

✖️ She lost her billionaire status long ago because she prioritized charities, including charities for women (which is something celebrities quite often overlook).

✖️ She founded a clinic for a neurological condition (M.S.) which is more common in women than men which her own mother died of, while most people don’t even acknowledge that female healthcare is constantly neglected.

✖️ She set up a charitable trust which has been supporting the funding of women‘s and children‘s causes since the year 2000, which is one of the most feminist things you can do.

✖️ Only a little while back she started a centre for female rape victims.

So, perhaps everyone should get off the high horse and focus on doing something meaningful instead of sending pointless violent messages.

[screamingfromuz]

Can I voice some frustration? I swear, every fucking day passes is another day I find myself hating Ali Khamenei more and more. One of these days, the violence the Iranian regime fosters is going to come back to bite them and I can only hope it will be inflicted by the Iranian people rather than on them by a foreign power. Not enough people, especially Westerners but also Arabs, are anywhere near as angry at the Iranian regime as they should be. Fuck Bibi and whatever else but FUCK Khamenei, fuck him seven ways to hell and back again.

this is a safe blog to vent on shitty political leaders.

But in all seriousness, to any Iranians that might stumble on this blog, I send my love, you will take down your shitty government. I know that your women are still terrorized by the government, and I send you power.