The “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement weakened the Islamic Republic from within. As war escalates, activists fear trading one form of authoritarianism for another.
When women unite, anything is possible. A group of women ran the primordial clans/bands of our migratory Hunter-Gatherer ancestors, who got us to this point, but have been underlined and isolated by men more recently.
Thanks Tara : A wonderful guest. Great to get inside info. Hopefully the women will bring the change needed. Now that Trump and Hegseth have started the bombing and decimated their nuclear dreams it not over, the Iranian military will strike back in their own time. They have killed a lot of the leaders but the regime remains The problem as I see it the Republican Guard will be slaughtering the dissenters. The USA will have to put boots on the ground and be willing to bleed , work with the protesters and help them build the democracy they want. There is nothing better to make change than millions of empowered women. Mr. Trump its not a one and done, turn it over to the protesters and women, Its not going to happen if you don't stay involved. Trump doesn't seem to have any end plan. Trump has weakened the internal security of the US and the sleeper cells are now awoke.
Some American feminists deceived themselves into supporting Bush's war against the Taliban in 2001 because they thought women would be free. After 25 years of death and destruction, the Taliban is back in power and Afghan women have been forgotten in the US.
And who cared about the targeting of Palestinian women in Gaza? Western feminists have been totally silent. But talk about how awful Muslim men are and you'll get all the exposure you want. It's disgusting to use women this way.
This woman does not appear to understand the Revolution very well or what came before. She also has a strong bias from her family. The fact that she has worked with the BBC indicates to me that she is willing to produce pro-Israeli propaganda. And she also doesn't appear to know the history of the chador in Iran. When I was a kid (I'm not Iranian but grew up there, which she did not, in the 60's and 70's), wearing the chador was AGAINST THE LAW as a result of what the Shah called "The White Revolution". Many women did not feel comfortable going out in public without a chador. As a tween at the time, I kept track of how many times I was sexually molested by men in the street because I was NOT wearing a chador; Three per city block walked. So I made a full-length cloak with monk's cowl so they wouldn't know where the cloak ended and I began. I also carried an old man's walking stick (impossible to break) and hit any man within three feet of me. I did not dress in Western ways out of respect for the culture. The reason I was being molested was because the Shah stole a LOT of land from land-owning families. Those families were responsible for the people living in the attached village which worked those farms. The men were unemployed (30% unemployment) so they came to Tehran where they hung out on the streets looking for day labor. They watched upper class women dressed like what traditional Iranians would think of as whores (I did too, to be honest) pass by flaunting their wealth (since they were enabling the Shah and all the foreigners which there were many from many countries engaged in business contracts the CIA conned the Shah to sign) and expressed their anger and frustration by molesting women. Really wealthy women were transported around town by their family's drivers so were not affected by this. But the rest of us were.
At that time rape was punished with six months in Evin and being released with a bald head. So people ostracized bald men for six months and then it was back to usual. I was impressed by the protection from this widespread harassment following the Revolution and envied women living in a country where the hijab or chador was the norm and there were actually groups protecting them from all that trauma. I could be explicit about the things that were done to me but won't.
I understand (sort of--but not really) why you wouldn't want to wear the hijab or even a fucking scarf, but you really do not know what it was like under the Shah or the history of covering or not covering and what it meant culturally. The women who don't want to cover their hair tend to be the same ones who think Western culture is superior to Iranian culture. And that is so harmful.
The Revolution was not initially Islamic. Initially it was the result of an entire country living under extreme fear of a police state that was extremely sadistic (and trained by Mossad). The CIA didn't want Marxists or communists replacing the Shah so they "disappeared" any real competitors. And the Shah had a law that it was illegal for three people to gather together. They didn't usually use this law unless they wanted to get rid of you. So the only way people could organize was in the mosque where they played cassette tapes of Khomeini's preaching. Of course, the CIA never learned farsi. They paid for their info. That's why it ended up being an "Islamic" revolution. And the more moderate ayatollahs were murdered (aka "died of heart attack"). That was Bush Sr.'s policy. Your father has been remiss in his educating you.
Anyway, I don't think Suzanne knows that much about Iran. So take her opinions with a vat of salt. She knows what she's been told by unnamed others. What ethnicity were her sources? what class? Where did they live? What was their view of the Shah? I know some of the Iranian-Americans who were arrested as spies. And, quite honestly, I believe that some of them WERE spies because I knew them as kids and knew their families. Won't name names but I don't think the Iranian government is lying all the time. It took five days for me to realize there was going to be a revolution. In 1967. The fear on the streets (and inside married couple's bedrooms) was intense. I was 13 and spoke about five words of farsi initially.
your looking for sanity where there is none,there's no plan except for trump trying to do a power grab,to affect the midterms ,change the Epstein news cycle,not answer to Congress,there was never a plan be side these reasons ,trump doesn't give a fuck about Iranians ,like he doesn't give a fuck About the USA.his end game is staying out of prison before death.
When women unite, anything is possible. A group of women ran the primordial clans/bands of our migratory Hunter-Gatherer ancestors, who got us to this point, but have been underlined and isolated by men more recently.
exactly!
Thanks Tara : A wonderful guest. Great to get inside info. Hopefully the women will bring the change needed. Now that Trump and Hegseth have started the bombing and decimated their nuclear dreams it not over, the Iranian military will strike back in their own time. They have killed a lot of the leaders but the regime remains The problem as I see it the Republican Guard will be slaughtering the dissenters. The USA will have to put boots on the ground and be willing to bleed , work with the protesters and help them build the democracy they want. There is nothing better to make change than millions of empowered women. Mr. Trump its not a one and done, turn it over to the protesters and women, Its not going to happen if you don't stay involved. Trump doesn't seem to have any end plan. Trump has weakened the internal security of the US and the sleeper cells are now awoke.
Some American feminists deceived themselves into supporting Bush's war against the Taliban in 2001 because they thought women would be free. After 25 years of death and destruction, the Taliban is back in power and Afghan women have been forgotten in the US.
that is a good point
This doesn't mean Iranian women can't improve their status by continuing the mass organizing they have done.
It just means US bombs won't intrinsically help them - and could make things worse if the men in power blame women protestors for the war.
They aren't that stupid.
And who cared about the targeting of Palestinian women in Gaza? Western feminists have been totally silent. But talk about how awful Muslim men are and you'll get all the exposure you want. It's disgusting to use women this way.
This woman does not appear to understand the Revolution very well or what came before. She also has a strong bias from her family. The fact that she has worked with the BBC indicates to me that she is willing to produce pro-Israeli propaganda. And she also doesn't appear to know the history of the chador in Iran. When I was a kid (I'm not Iranian but grew up there, which she did not, in the 60's and 70's), wearing the chador was AGAINST THE LAW as a result of what the Shah called "The White Revolution". Many women did not feel comfortable going out in public without a chador. As a tween at the time, I kept track of how many times I was sexually molested by men in the street because I was NOT wearing a chador; Three per city block walked. So I made a full-length cloak with monk's cowl so they wouldn't know where the cloak ended and I began. I also carried an old man's walking stick (impossible to break) and hit any man within three feet of me. I did not dress in Western ways out of respect for the culture. The reason I was being molested was because the Shah stole a LOT of land from land-owning families. Those families were responsible for the people living in the attached village which worked those farms. The men were unemployed (30% unemployment) so they came to Tehran where they hung out on the streets looking for day labor. They watched upper class women dressed like what traditional Iranians would think of as whores (I did too, to be honest) pass by flaunting their wealth (since they were enabling the Shah and all the foreigners which there were many from many countries engaged in business contracts the CIA conned the Shah to sign) and expressed their anger and frustration by molesting women. Really wealthy women were transported around town by their family's drivers so were not affected by this. But the rest of us were.
At that time rape was punished with six months in Evin and being released with a bald head. So people ostracized bald men for six months and then it was back to usual. I was impressed by the protection from this widespread harassment following the Revolution and envied women living in a country where the hijab or chador was the norm and there were actually groups protecting them from all that trauma. I could be explicit about the things that were done to me but won't.
I understand (sort of--but not really) why you wouldn't want to wear the hijab or even a fucking scarf, but you really do not know what it was like under the Shah or the history of covering or not covering and what it meant culturally. The women who don't want to cover their hair tend to be the same ones who think Western culture is superior to Iranian culture. And that is so harmful.
The Revolution was not initially Islamic. Initially it was the result of an entire country living under extreme fear of a police state that was extremely sadistic (and trained by Mossad). The CIA didn't want Marxists or communists replacing the Shah so they "disappeared" any real competitors. And the Shah had a law that it was illegal for three people to gather together. They didn't usually use this law unless they wanted to get rid of you. So the only way people could organize was in the mosque where they played cassette tapes of Khomeini's preaching. Of course, the CIA never learned farsi. They paid for their info. That's why it ended up being an "Islamic" revolution. And the more moderate ayatollahs were murdered (aka "died of heart attack"). That was Bush Sr.'s policy. Your father has been remiss in his educating you.
Anyway, I don't think Suzanne knows that much about Iran. So take her opinions with a vat of salt. She knows what she's been told by unnamed others. What ethnicity were her sources? what class? Where did they live? What was their view of the Shah? I know some of the Iranian-Americans who were arrested as spies. And, quite honestly, I believe that some of them WERE spies because I knew them as kids and knew their families. Won't name names but I don't think the Iranian government is lying all the time. It took five days for me to realize there was going to be a revolution. In 1967. The fear on the streets (and inside married couple's bedrooms) was intense. I was 13 and spoke about five words of farsi initially.
Tara , I think you should include to make one comment on this
https://youtu.be/V13sGGF3bU8?si=QGGgfYAD9h0tbqU5
your looking for sanity where there is none,there's no plan except for trump trying to do a power grab,to affect the midterms ,change the Epstein news cycle,not answer to Congress,there was never a plan be side these reasons ,trump doesn't give a fuck about Iranians ,like he doesn't give a fuck About the USA.his end game is staying out of prison before death.
thank you for bringing an Iranian voice to the people's attention.