Iran’s History of Hijab, Women’s Rights & Sexual Politics

Iranian Women Have Had Enough

Zan. Zendeghi. Azadi.

These three words are shouted out in the streets of Iran by fearless Iranian women, and men.

Ms. Shirin Ebadi, an Iranian and the first female Nobel Peace Prize laureate of the Islamic world, believes that these protests are different than the prior ones in the last 43 years. First, unlike past protests, this time the only solution for Iran is regime change. This is because, as she asserts, Iranians have tried every imaginable compromise with the mullahs. There is nothing left to negotiate. Second, this time “it is women who will open the gates to democracy in Iran.”

In the introductory part of this episode, I share with you Ms. Ebadi’s explanation of women’s rights (read lack of) in Iran. She was a lawyer and a judge in Iran, but hasn’t been able to live in her homeland since 2009. I also tell you what the above three words mean, and how they relate to America’s Declaration of Independence, which was written in 1776.

I’ll give away one word here: zan.

In direct translation, it means woman. But it stands for equality, women’s rights, and autonomy.