“Take off your headscarf, let your hair flow, don’t be afraid my love. Laugh, protest against fear.” In opening a panel discussion titled “The Masha Amini Protests and the Road Ahead for Iran,” Holly Dagres of the Atlantic Council quoted those defiant lyrics in a new popular song by Iranian Pop singer Mehdi Yarrahi titled Roosarito [Your Headscarf]. A panel[Read More…]

The invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq by the U.S. and its European allies in the early 2000s alarmed the clerics in Tehran that they may be next to lose power. Consequently, the clerics heavily invested in manufacturing conventional advanced weapons, which strengthened the country’s military. With the recent progress in the nuclear field, Iran now has a choice to build[Read More…]

The women-led anti-hejab movement that began after the death of Mahsa Amini on September 16, 2022, in Iran, is ongoing. Even though the street protests have subsided, many Iranian women defy to comply with wearing Islamic hejab in public. Nonetheless, the Islamic government is fighting to enforce hejab by various means, including closing stores that admit women without headscarves and[Read More…]

Women’s Day A few days ago, on Woman’s Day, an article called our attention to the plight of Iranian women, who are fighting for their freedom and civil rights against the oppressive religions government of Iran. Here is the link: https://truthout.org/articles/this-international-womens-day-iranian-feminists-are-at-the-front-lines/ Iran, Past and Present Here is a link to my book, “Iran, Past and Present”. https://eacpe.org/content/uploads/2022/12/Iran-Past-and-Present-by-John-Scales-Avery.pdf My father went[Read More…]

In Iran, the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody, believed to be beaten following her arrest by the “Morality Police” on the grounds that her hair was visible, instigated the Iranian people to flood the streets, starting with women. The demonstrations, which began with demands against the Morality Police and the compulsory headscarf, have been going on continuously[Read More…]

The ongoing unrest in Iran since mid-September following the death of a Kurdish woman in police custody shows no signs of abating as of now. The unrest has drawn support from all social strata and assumed anti-government overtones. The efficacy of suppressing the unrest is doubtful. Iran is entering a period of turmoil. Indeed, the government faces no imminent threat[Read More…]

Since the death of Mahsa Amini on September 16, unrest in Iranian cities has continued. So far, more than 100 people have been killed in the riots, and many political activists, journalists, and college students have been arrested. On October 3, after over two weeks of silence, the Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, appeared at a police graduation ceremony and blamed[Read More…]