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.
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.
For years and years, NGOs from every western country (even Murica!) served to introduce freedom to Afghani women.
You sacrificed blood and treasure not just for revenge and control.
In the end, resubjugation by the Taliban simply proved it takes way longer to graft democratic aspirations onto religiously determined cultures, especially while a majority of terribly oppressed women are conditioned to collude in their own oppression.
Sad and true. War never leads to peace, sadly. As we all know, The First Casualty of War is the truth, and nine out of ten deaths are civilians. Possibly two hundred million children died during WWII in Asia..............
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.
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.
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.
I worked in the UAE for six weeks in 1984, and I covered my hair, arms, legs, etc. I was teased about being a Saudi, but I was terrified the entire time I was there. I liked the babies I cared for as a neonatologist, and I stayed with Filipina and Indian women in the evenings. I hated that there were hordes of men working in camps there for a pittance under brutal conditions, and they viewed all unaccompanied women as whores. I could have gone to pubs, but I had no interest. I found the society opaque and the gap between the rich and these migrant workers shocking. I could not wait to get out of there. There are so many issues, and corruption, cruelty, and violence are all linked with the acceptance of massive inequality. Marxism and Leninism make things much worse. The only thing that improves a society is when there is a real focus on compassion, kindness, the common good, and on education that is free and public, and on efforts to give all children an opportunity to learn. I love the work of Sally Armstrong, who worked and continues to work with Women in Afghanistan. Our world is such a mess. I also love the work of Dr. Samantha Nutt, founder of War Child Canada, and of Dr. Gabor Maté.
You should read Kristen Ghodsee's books comparing the status of women under socialism versus under capitalism. They are very eye-opening and also quite funny. Highly recommend her work. Don't just vapidly repeat the standard anti-socialism, anti-Marxist Western gobbledy-gook. Do some serious reading on the subject. Capitalism is dreadful for women. Your comment about what improves society actually does describe socialistic societies far more than capitalistic ones.
I worked with Tibetans in India. My late husband fled fhe Viet Cong. I have read hundreds of books by survivors from all kinds of situations. I grew up as Ireland joined the EU. The status of women shot up. I know lots of people from Eastern Europe and they say they had a good education and calm life under communism but they are antivacc and do not trust the government. The average Canadian who was non indigenous was doing great in 1985. Keynesian capitalism worked well and then came neoliberalism and the rot. I have talked to lots of Vietnamese sent to work in Russia and China they are all scarred but all Vietnamese are scarred.
All the same, read Kristen Ghodsee. Average Canadian? You're talking to a Japanese-Canadian. Don't suppose you know our history during WWII. That's why I was born and raised in the M.E. Read Ghodsee. Keep an open mind. Capitalism doesn't work. Look at the state of the world today, for heaven's sake. We're heading towards WWIII for uber capitalism. Little girls were incinerated for capitalism. Doesn't sound great to me. I lived amongst Tibetans in U.P., too. What's your point? The bizarre relationship between Westerners following the Dalai Lama so wonderfully patronizingly? Do you know what he thinks about all that? What does that have to do with capitalism and socialism and women? I'm confused.
I have read and heard lots about the bad treatment of Japanese Canadians who were mistreated and also about the plight of Japanese who came to Canada after the war and were mistreated as they could not speak English. I also know too much about the horrors of war in China, Korea, Japan , The horrific cruelty and torture and the experimentation by Japanese on Chinese people. I have read and watched all kinds of books and movies.
I recommend the book written by a Canadian nun who taught in Japan and became a Zen master. Peace be with you.
His Holiness recommends democracy, human rights and secular ethics. What we are experiencing now is killer capitalism an extreme form of elitism domination and toxic , imperialism and militarism. Try reading some of His Holiness’s recent books. Read Riane Eisler, we need more partnership and less domination. Professor Heather Cox Richardson writes well here about what has gone wrong. Extremists starting with Reagan have removed all the structures created since the early 20 th century in the US .All of Asia has been harmed first by brutal European colonials abd then Marxism and Mapism. Duality is a western cultural flaw introduced to Asia with devastating effects.
These are scary and confusing times. Nancy Mclean and Kristin Kobes du Mez write well from diverse perspectives. I know what happened to Japanese Canadians in WWIi They were horribly mistreated and David Suzuki blames everything on white people and ignores the horrific cruelty of Japanese soldiers in WW Ii. 200 million children died in Asia in WW Ii it was horrific and the Japanese never apologized for anything . I read all about the rape of Nanjing.
I also read about the suffering of the Japanese in Hiroshima and NagasKi.
It was survivors who started World Kindness Day in November which I celebrate and promote I hsve read the biography of the Canadian RC nun who went to Japan and became a Zen Master.
I am a RC trained to teach Christian Meditation. I have studied with Tibetans since 1980 and I am also certified to teach Compassion Cultivation Traiming ( CCT) Meditation.
Our problems are caused by unhealed trauma and by domination and elitism. We need to do better. much better.
Wow, holy crap there IS another that grasps the entire reality of Iran. How they were the first democracy in the region in the 50’s, how corporate took advantage of them in early 1900’s and raped them of their resources for a fraction of what they should have been paid. How after they elected a good decent leader how the co. Now known as BP asked Harry Truman to create a coup to get rid of their elected leader and he declined. Then when Eisenhower was elected, he agreed and followed through. Then the US installed the shaw and about 2 million Iranians were murdered for political reasons, to hold power. How then during the Carter years the entire region instituted an oil embargo because the evidence was available of what the US actually did. Then Carter was in a pickle because he if he did tell the people the real reason, he’d be blamed anyways. It all comes down to the fact that americans as a whole are truly willfully stupid and ignorant to the facts. Cheers and have a great day. usa usa usa and then cheer. 🥂
The USA is evil. Bush secretly traveled to Iran before the election to make a deal with Khomeini to hold the hostages until after Reagan was inaugurated. I call that treason. Of course he was head of the CIA then, if my memory of dates is correct. Most of the hostages were in CIA-cover jobs. All Americans in Iran had been forewarned four days before to stay away from the embassy because there was going to be an "action" on November 4th. Evil. The US is evil. MI6 was heavily involved in the overthrow of Mossadegh. Watch the documentary "Coup 53". The British are heavily involved in all the American actions in the Middle East. They are heavily involved in the American economy by way of the hidden hands of the Rothschild family. The Rockefeller and Ford foundations, JPMorgan, Wells Fargo, Chase, et al. are Anglo-American fronts of the Rothschilds in the US. Read Paul Cudenec's recent book on the subject at his substack.
There is some shit you spew that is bullshit. Doesn’t help because there is enough shit that was actually done which is enough. I know the history and the pathetic greed of corporate dominance and the compliance of those in governance. All too well.
Women’s rights were never a gift from those in power. Throughout history they were won through centuries of struggle.
In Iran that struggle unfolds within a theocratic system and a deeply patriarchal society. Yet there is a striking paradox: women are now the majority in universities (over 55%), and more than 75% complete their studies, many earning multiple degrees.
They also have a strong presence in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
And yet, despite this high level of education, women still face legal and social restrictions, including in some cases the need for authorization from a male guardian for certain decisions.
A society where women are among the most educated yet remain legally constrained carries an inevitable historical tension.
The struggle of women in Iran is not only about individual rights. It is about dignity, equality, and the future of their country.
For that matter, the fate of the US will also depend on its women.
Fascism with an Islamic flavor is no better than its counterparts in Judaism or Christianity; all the Abrahamic faiths are tinged with sexism. And a super-sized order of hypocrisy.
There is a Huge amount of history that would take a 4 hour episode to cover the facts that in reality the us is the cause of the Iranian state of affairs we are facing now. How they were the first democracy in the region in the 50’s, how corporate greed took advantage of them in early 1900’s and raped them of their resources for a fraction of what they should have been paid. How after they elected a good decent leader and how the co. Now known as BP asked Harry Truman to create a coup to get rid of their elected leader and he declined. Then when Eisenhower was elected, he agreed and about 600 Died by two groups paid for by the us to fight each other to destabilize their country. Then the US installed the shaw and about 2 million Iranians were murdered for political reasons, to hold power. How then during the Carter years the entire region instituted an oil embargo because the evidence was available of what the US actually did. Then Carter was in a pickle because he if he did tell the people the real reason gas prices ski high, again from corporate grotesque greed, he’d be blamed anyways. It all comes down to the fact that americans as a whole are truly willfully stupid and ignorant to the facts.
While americans are quick to forget, countries in that region are not. There is a deep seated hate of generations in most all of the ancient countries in the region. Frumpy criminal pervert and company will leave the corruption in place in Iran and after it settles, there will be a great deal of killing of dumb ass stupid americans. lol.. if you think this is over I have lake front property in Nevada to sell. I laughed at the willful wishful thinking derived by a repeated trust for a corrupt, incompetent administration that most americans are grasping onto to ease their fear and continue to listen to and repeat a pathetic corrupt idiot and the entire republican party.
Just another meaningless comment in a meaningless unsocial media. Well, unless it is very short, void of facts with a short video of shiny objects.
I loved this conversation with Suzanne Kianpour. She is a voice I hope you have on more. I learned a lot, and have more questions about “What will the women of Iran do with this chaotic opportunity for change? Will they be able to grab power, and lessen the religious-police aspect/morality-hypocrisy that kept Iranian women from full equality?
Ironically the Trump regime is taking action against Iran while simultaneously making the US more like Iran, especially in relation to women’s rights, freedom generally, & morality. But for regimes like these and for people of power & wealth it is always the same ‘restrictions & rules for thee but not for me’.
I wish all people everywhere who dream of liberation, diversity, equity and inclusion well.
I especially wish my Iranian-Canadian friends well. I especially support women and gender minorities, and I am intensely opposed to all forms of torture, vengeance and violence.
I worked for six weeks in the UAE in 1984 as a neonatologist, and I loved the beauty of the desert and loathed everything else about the UAE. I was so glad to escape and work as a volunteer with Tibetans in India. I have always hated violence, and I hated everything I experienced as an Irish Roman Catholic with relatives I loved who lived in North Finchley during" The Troubles." I loathe all forms of violence, and I think it's all linked and that girls and women always suffer. I loathed Prime Minister Thatcher, and I could not understand her at all. Eons later, I discovered neoliberalism and how Thatcherism, Reaganism and Harperism are all neoliberal and really, they lay the groundwork for authoritarianism. I discovered the work of Professor Riane Eisler in 2021, and I love her systems theory of Domination versus Partnership, and I find this a million times more helpful than left and right.
The problem I see is that felon Trump and his family are now the most powerful corrupt crime family on the planet. Hegseth is against allowing women to vote. Project 2025 is a plan funded by American psychopaths whose idea if when America was great, is when girls and women had no rights, blacks were enslaved, and asians and native Americans could be
murdered at will. MAGAS want hell on earth. Trump and Netanyahu just want to avoid jail.
I support the women of Iran and women everywhere, and the men who support them. I am praying that Hegseth and Trump are lawfully and legally replaced, nonviolently, as soon as possible. These men are all lying, cheating, ultra-corrupt psychopaths and definitely not to be trusted by anyone.
Jared Kushner is only interested in the billions he is making and in being able to build golf resorts over the bones of dead Palestinian children. The regime change I am praying ceaselessly for is in Washington, Tel Aviv, Moscow, Minsk, Beijing, and I am hoping and praying that the Greens take London.
The reality is that psychopaths thrive on chaos, vengeance and violence, and normal people do not. War begets war and violence begets violence, and peace activism and healing are immensely difficult, thankless, and there is no money in it for now. I hope both of you read what Wendy, who writes as the Glass Door on Substack, writes. She wrote movingly about what is happening in Iran, and perhaps you can both chat with her.
Violent revolution does not work. We have seen this time and time again. Nonviolence is more effective, but currently it's slow. It's so tragic. Every Iranian I have ever met in Canada has been brilliant, creative, warm-hearted, passionate, and desperate for life in Iran to improve. This winter, I joined Women Wage Peace, but there is no local group, and I also joined World BEYOND War, and again, there is no local group.
I am trying to learn more and to start a local group for either, but I need to find people willing to study peace. I joined Amnesty International and the Irish Women's Ecumenical Movement with my mother in Ireland in 1980. My late husband was a Vietnamese Canadian. We bonded in Toronto over our shared loathing for war, warlords, war mongers and all the agitators, militias and operatives everywhere. Sadly, my husband died on August 18, 2014, and our children, family, friends and neighbours do not understand my passion for peace activism.
Especially as I become so angry........ LOL. People have this vapid idea that peace is a Victorian postcard. The idea that we really need to actively Wage Peace is so contrary to the North American mainstream since the 1970s, thanks to all those action" comedies."
People look amazed when I hand out white and purple poppies; Canadians love their red poppies.
Ironically, I am a hematologist and could talk nonstop for months about how amazing blood is. I loved fighting leukemia and healing people, and I loathe those who want to spill blood. Our Earth is full of spilled blood, especially in central Asia. God willing, we will see peace and freedom spread all over Eurasia and a return to honouring the Divine Feminine.
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!
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.
Surely not so simplistic Bob.
For years and years, NGOs from every western country (even Murica!) served to introduce freedom to Afghani women.
You sacrificed blood and treasure not just for revenge and control.
In the end, resubjugation by the Taliban simply proved it takes way longer to graft democratic aspirations onto religiously determined cultures, especially while a majority of terribly oppressed women are conditioned to collude in their own oppression.
Sad and true. War never leads to peace, sadly. As we all know, The First Casualty of War is the truth, and nine out of ten deaths are civilians. Possibly two hundred million children died during WWII in Asia..............
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.
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.
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.
I worked in the UAE for six weeks in 1984, and I covered my hair, arms, legs, etc. I was teased about being a Saudi, but I was terrified the entire time I was there. I liked the babies I cared for as a neonatologist, and I stayed with Filipina and Indian women in the evenings. I hated that there were hordes of men working in camps there for a pittance under brutal conditions, and they viewed all unaccompanied women as whores. I could have gone to pubs, but I had no interest. I found the society opaque and the gap between the rich and these migrant workers shocking. I could not wait to get out of there. There are so many issues, and corruption, cruelty, and violence are all linked with the acceptance of massive inequality. Marxism and Leninism make things much worse. The only thing that improves a society is when there is a real focus on compassion, kindness, the common good, and on education that is free and public, and on efforts to give all children an opportunity to learn. I love the work of Sally Armstrong, who worked and continues to work with Women in Afghanistan. Our world is such a mess. I also love the work of Dr. Samantha Nutt, founder of War Child Canada, and of Dr. Gabor Maté.
https://youtu.be/NIopY2yoXtk?si=gXRoHtrMRF1I9ia7
You should read Kristen Ghodsee's books comparing the status of women under socialism versus under capitalism. They are very eye-opening and also quite funny. Highly recommend her work. Don't just vapidly repeat the standard anti-socialism, anti-Marxist Western gobbledy-gook. Do some serious reading on the subject. Capitalism is dreadful for women. Your comment about what improves society actually does describe socialistic societies far more than capitalistic ones.
I worked with Tibetans in India. My late husband fled fhe Viet Cong. I have read hundreds of books by survivors from all kinds of situations. I grew up as Ireland joined the EU. The status of women shot up. I know lots of people from Eastern Europe and they say they had a good education and calm life under communism but they are antivacc and do not trust the government. The average Canadian who was non indigenous was doing great in 1985. Keynesian capitalism worked well and then came neoliberalism and the rot. I have talked to lots of Vietnamese sent to work in Russia and China they are all scarred but all Vietnamese are scarred.
All the same, read Kristen Ghodsee. Average Canadian? You're talking to a Japanese-Canadian. Don't suppose you know our history during WWII. That's why I was born and raised in the M.E. Read Ghodsee. Keep an open mind. Capitalism doesn't work. Look at the state of the world today, for heaven's sake. We're heading towards WWIII for uber capitalism. Little girls were incinerated for capitalism. Doesn't sound great to me. I lived amongst Tibetans in U.P., too. What's your point? The bizarre relationship between Westerners following the Dalai Lama so wonderfully patronizingly? Do you know what he thinks about all that? What does that have to do with capitalism and socialism and women? I'm confused.
I have read and heard lots about the bad treatment of Japanese Canadians who were mistreated and also about the plight of Japanese who came to Canada after the war and were mistreated as they could not speak English. I also know too much about the horrors of war in China, Korea, Japan , The horrific cruelty and torture and the experimentation by Japanese on Chinese people. I have read and watched all kinds of books and movies.
I recommend the book written by a Canadian nun who taught in Japan and became a Zen master. Peace be with you.
His Holiness recommends democracy, human rights and secular ethics. What we are experiencing now is killer capitalism an extreme form of elitism domination and toxic , imperialism and militarism. Try reading some of His Holiness’s recent books. Read Riane Eisler, we need more partnership and less domination. Professor Heather Cox Richardson writes well here about what has gone wrong. Extremists starting with Reagan have removed all the structures created since the early 20 th century in the US .All of Asia has been harmed first by brutal European colonials abd then Marxism and Mapism. Duality is a western cultural flaw introduced to Asia with devastating effects.
These are scary and confusing times. Nancy Mclean and Kristin Kobes du Mez write well from diverse perspectives. I know what happened to Japanese Canadians in WWIi They were horribly mistreated and David Suzuki blames everything on white people and ignores the horrific cruelty of Japanese soldiers in WW Ii. 200 million children died in Asia in WW Ii it was horrific and the Japanese never apologized for anything . I read all about the rape of Nanjing.
I also read about the suffering of the Japanese in Hiroshima and NagasKi.
It was survivors who started World Kindness Day in November which I celebrate and promote I hsve read the biography of the Canadian RC nun who went to Japan and became a Zen Master.
I am a RC trained to teach Christian Meditation. I have studied with Tibetans since 1980 and I am also certified to teach Compassion Cultivation Traiming ( CCT) Meditation.
Our problems are caused by unhealed trauma and by domination and elitism. We need to do better. much better.
Wow, holy crap there IS another that grasps the entire reality of Iran. How they were the first democracy in the region in the 50’s, how corporate took advantage of them in early 1900’s and raped them of their resources for a fraction of what they should have been paid. How after they elected a good decent leader how the co. Now known as BP asked Harry Truman to create a coup to get rid of their elected leader and he declined. Then when Eisenhower was elected, he agreed and followed through. Then the US installed the shaw and about 2 million Iranians were murdered for political reasons, to hold power. How then during the Carter years the entire region instituted an oil embargo because the evidence was available of what the US actually did. Then Carter was in a pickle because he if he did tell the people the real reason, he’d be blamed anyways. It all comes down to the fact that americans as a whole are truly willfully stupid and ignorant to the facts. Cheers and have a great day. usa usa usa and then cheer. 🥂
The USA is evil. Bush secretly traveled to Iran before the election to make a deal with Khomeini to hold the hostages until after Reagan was inaugurated. I call that treason. Of course he was head of the CIA then, if my memory of dates is correct. Most of the hostages were in CIA-cover jobs. All Americans in Iran had been forewarned four days before to stay away from the embassy because there was going to be an "action" on November 4th. Evil. The US is evil. MI6 was heavily involved in the overthrow of Mossadegh. Watch the documentary "Coup 53". The British are heavily involved in all the American actions in the Middle East. They are heavily involved in the American economy by way of the hidden hands of the Rothschild family. The Rockefeller and Ford foundations, JPMorgan, Wells Fargo, Chase, et al. are Anglo-American fronts of the Rothschilds in the US. Read Paul Cudenec's recent book on the subject at his substack.
There is some shit you spew that is bullshit. Doesn’t help because there is enough shit that was actually done which is enough. I know the history and the pathetic greed of corporate dominance and the compliance of those in governance. All too well.
Explicate.
Thank you ladies. This was so powerful.
Also to be known:
Women’s rights were never a gift from those in power. Throughout history they were won through centuries of struggle.
In Iran that struggle unfolds within a theocratic system and a deeply patriarchal society. Yet there is a striking paradox: women are now the majority in universities (over 55%), and more than 75% complete their studies, many earning multiple degrees.
They also have a strong presence in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
And yet, despite this high level of education, women still face legal and social restrictions, including in some cases the need for authorization from a male guardian for certain decisions.
A society where women are among the most educated yet remain legally constrained carries an inevitable historical tension.
The struggle of women in Iran is not only about individual rights. It is about dignity, equality, and the future of their country.
It really is up to the women to save IRAN.
AND AMERICA!!
For that matter, the fate of the US will also depend on its women.
Fascism with an Islamic flavor is no better than its counterparts in Judaism or Christianity; all the Abrahamic faiths are tinged with sexism. And a super-sized order of hypocrisy.
There is a Huge amount of history that would take a 4 hour episode to cover the facts that in reality the us is the cause of the Iranian state of affairs we are facing now. How they were the first democracy in the region in the 50’s, how corporate greed took advantage of them in early 1900’s and raped them of their resources for a fraction of what they should have been paid. How after they elected a good decent leader and how the co. Now known as BP asked Harry Truman to create a coup to get rid of their elected leader and he declined. Then when Eisenhower was elected, he agreed and about 600 Died by two groups paid for by the us to fight each other to destabilize their country. Then the US installed the shaw and about 2 million Iranians were murdered for political reasons, to hold power. How then during the Carter years the entire region instituted an oil embargo because the evidence was available of what the US actually did. Then Carter was in a pickle because he if he did tell the people the real reason gas prices ski high, again from corporate grotesque greed, he’d be blamed anyways. It all comes down to the fact that americans as a whole are truly willfully stupid and ignorant to the facts.
While americans are quick to forget, countries in that region are not. There is a deep seated hate of generations in most all of the ancient countries in the region. Frumpy criminal pervert and company will leave the corruption in place in Iran and after it settles, there will be a great deal of killing of dumb ass stupid americans. lol.. if you think this is over I have lake front property in Nevada to sell. I laughed at the willful wishful thinking derived by a repeated trust for a corrupt, incompetent administration that most americans are grasping onto to ease their fear and continue to listen to and repeat a pathetic corrupt idiot and the entire republican party.
Just another meaningless comment in a meaningless unsocial media. Well, unless it is very short, void of facts with a short video of shiny objects.
Have a great day. usa usa usa and then cheer. 🥂
💙💙💙
I loved this conversation with Suzanne Kianpour. She is a voice I hope you have on more. I learned a lot, and have more questions about “What will the women of Iran do with this chaotic opportunity for change? Will they be able to grab power, and lessen the religious-police aspect/morality-hypocrisy that kept Iranian women from full equality?
Ironically the Trump regime is taking action against Iran while simultaneously making the US more like Iran, especially in relation to women’s rights, freedom generally, & morality. But for regimes like these and for people of power & wealth it is always the same ‘restrictions & rules for thee but not for me’.
Thank you,
I wish all people everywhere who dream of liberation, diversity, equity and inclusion well.
I especially wish my Iranian-Canadian friends well. I especially support women and gender minorities, and I am intensely opposed to all forms of torture, vengeance and violence.
I worked for six weeks in the UAE in 1984 as a neonatologist, and I loved the beauty of the desert and loathed everything else about the UAE. I was so glad to escape and work as a volunteer with Tibetans in India. I have always hated violence, and I hated everything I experienced as an Irish Roman Catholic with relatives I loved who lived in North Finchley during" The Troubles." I loathe all forms of violence, and I think it's all linked and that girls and women always suffer. I loathed Prime Minister Thatcher, and I could not understand her at all. Eons later, I discovered neoliberalism and how Thatcherism, Reaganism and Harperism are all neoliberal and really, they lay the groundwork for authoritarianism. I discovered the work of Professor Riane Eisler in 2021, and I love her systems theory of Domination versus Partnership, and I find this a million times more helpful than left and right.
The problem I see is that felon Trump and his family are now the most powerful corrupt crime family on the planet. Hegseth is against allowing women to vote. Project 2025 is a plan funded by American psychopaths whose idea if when America was great, is when girls and women had no rights, blacks were enslaved, and asians and native Americans could be
murdered at will. MAGAS want hell on earth. Trump and Netanyahu just want to avoid jail.
I support the women of Iran and women everywhere, and the men who support them. I am praying that Hegseth and Trump are lawfully and legally replaced, nonviolently, as soon as possible. These men are all lying, cheating, ultra-corrupt psychopaths and definitely not to be trusted by anyone.
Jared Kushner is only interested in the billions he is making and in being able to build golf resorts over the bones of dead Palestinian children. The regime change I am praying ceaselessly for is in Washington, Tel Aviv, Moscow, Minsk, Beijing, and I am hoping and praying that the Greens take London.
The reality is that psychopaths thrive on chaos, vengeance and violence, and normal people do not. War begets war and violence begets violence, and peace activism and healing are immensely difficult, thankless, and there is no money in it for now. I hope both of you read what Wendy, who writes as the Glass Door on Substack, writes. She wrote movingly about what is happening in Iran, and perhaps you can both chat with her.
Violent revolution does not work. We have seen this time and time again. Nonviolence is more effective, but currently it's slow. It's so tragic. Every Iranian I have ever met in Canada has been brilliant, creative, warm-hearted, passionate, and desperate for life in Iran to improve. This winter, I joined Women Wage Peace, but there is no local group, and I also joined World BEYOND War, and again, there is no local group.
I am trying to learn more and to start a local group for either, but I need to find people willing to study peace. I joined Amnesty International and the Irish Women's Ecumenical Movement with my mother in Ireland in 1980. My late husband was a Vietnamese Canadian. We bonded in Toronto over our shared loathing for war, warlords, war mongers and all the agitators, militias and operatives everywhere. Sadly, my husband died on August 18, 2014, and our children, family, friends and neighbours do not understand my passion for peace activism.
Especially as I become so angry........ LOL. People have this vapid idea that peace is a Victorian postcard. The idea that we really need to actively Wage Peace is so contrary to the North American mainstream since the 1970s, thanks to all those action" comedies."
People look amazed when I hand out white and purple poppies; Canadians love their red poppies.
Ironically, I am a hematologist and could talk nonstop for months about how amazing blood is. I loved fighting leukemia and healing people, and I loathe those who want to spill blood. Our Earth is full of spilled blood, especially in central Asia. God willing, we will see peace and freedom spread all over Eurasia and a return to honouring the Divine Feminine.
Good Wishes to both of you.
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.