An Interview with Mahnaz Afkhami, Minister of Women Affairs in Pahlavi-era Iran
BBC Persian News – by Maryam Ghanbarzadeh
Women’s organizations in Iran were commonplace in the period before the Islamic Revolution and largely run by women volunteers who served in the early fifties [text continues in Persian]….
Nerikes Allehanda – By Inger Nordahl
What hides behind gender-based violence is often a patriarchal society, where the struggle for equality can seem impossible.
As an Iranian, Mahnaz Afkhami understands this. In the 1970s she was named one of the world’s first-ever ministers of women’s affairs. She succeeded in changing the conditions for Iranian women, including investments in child care and paid maternity leave. Then came the revolution. [Text continues in Swedish...]
Persian text
Whether in exile in refugee camps, in prisons inside Iran, or working late into the night sending their messages around the country and across the world, women in Iran have not yielded to oppression. Their mobile phones, web sites and blogs carry their words across the nation and throughout the world. Their voice resonates with others who rise up in their support. They are at the forefront of the green movement for change. They know they can change their country and they say “Yes, we will.”
BBC Persian Hardtalk / By Enayat Fani Afkhami looks back on the complex issues of advancing women’s rights in Iran: from her time working as Minister for Women’s Affairs under the Shah, and using economic development goals as a ways of promoting women’s development, to the progresses made and lost in family law, to the [...]
Washington TV / By Amir Irani-Tehrani
On November 6, Ms. Afkhami was featured on Mehdi Falahati’s Persian-language program “Rou dar Rou” (Face-to-Face), produced by Voice of America. During the interview she discussed her professional journey, as well as the role of women in Iran’s democracy movement and their use of ICTs to take their message to the international community.
Público / Por Margarida Santos Lopes
Ms Afkhami details the interrelation between her career and the recent history of the women’s rights movement in Iran. The latest post-election protests leave her optimistic about the battle for freedom and justice. She believes that history is on the side of women.
Sabah / By Bilge Eser
“I didn’t choose politics; I chose women’s rights.” Mahnaz Afkhami looks back on her time as Minister of Women’s Affairs in Iran before the revolution and looks forward to the future of Iran, where she believes, “women are on the winning side which is the side of history.”
Corriere della Sera / By Allessandra Farkas
The first web revolution, led by women and bloggers
According to Mahnaz Afkhami, this is a revolution on the web since 70% of Iran’s population has access to the internet; and it is leading the upheaval on twitter, youtube and facebook. Women bloggers are the most strong-willed in the resulting network. In fact, women were the ones who, having declined to vote during the last election, pushed the conservative Moussavi to adopt more liberal position and thus chose him as a candidate.
مهناز افخمی، رئیس سازمان بین المللی غیر انتفاعی آموزش و همکاری زنان، کمپین جمع آوری امضا در ایران را یک روند آموزشی و نیز درخواستی برای تغییر و اصلاح می نامد و تحسین می کند:
Wednesday, March 9, 2011