Mahnaz Afkhami

BBC Persian: Women’s Political Participation in Iran (In Persian & English)

Mahnaz Afkhami and Mehrangiz Kar, lawyer and human rights activist, speak with BBC Persian about women’s political participation in Iran on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of being accorded their right to vote.

VOA Extended Profile: Historical Context for The Women’s Movement in Iran, and the life and work of Mahnaz Afkhami (In Persian)

این برنامۀ مستند و نیم ساعتۀ صدای آمریکا به زندگی نامۀ مهناز افخمی اختصاص دارد و درعین حال به مروری بر بافتار تاریخی جنبش زنان ایران که در آستانۀ انقلاب مشروطیت در اوائل قرن بیستم آغاز شد، به تدریج توان یافت و در مراحل گوناگون به ثمر رسید. در ده سالی که وی در مقام دبیرکل سازمان زنان ایران خدمت می کرد، و به ویژه در سه سال عضویت اش در کابینه به عنوان وزیر مشاور در امور زنان- مقامی که تا آن هنگام در هیچ یک از کشورهای خاورمیانه و آفریقای شمالی وجود نداشت- زنان ایران در احقاق حقوق و آزادی هایشان در همۀ عرصه های زندگی سیاسی و اجتماعی و خانوادگی به دستاوردهای بی سابقه رسیده بودند.
این برنامه، در روایتی مصور، رویدادهای عمدۀ زندگی شخصی مهناز افخمی را به عنوان همسر، خواهر، مادر و مادر بزرگ نیز ترسیم می کند. از دوران کودکی تا دوران دشوار تحصیل و کارِ همزمان در ایالات متحد، از کوچ ناخواسته از وطن تا بازسازی زندگی در غربت

The half hour video provides the historical context for the women’s movement in Iran from its early beginnings just before the constitutional revolution of 1906 through the efforts at networking and organizing to promote girls education in the 1930’s, women’s political rights in the 1950s and 60s, and finally reform of the family laws in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The documentary focuses on the life and work of Mahnaz Afkhami, especially her ten-year tenure as the Secretary General of the Women’s Organization of Iran and her three years in the Iranian cabinet as the first Minister of Women’s Affairs in the Middle East and North Africa Region, to examine the achievements of women during this period while presenting a portrait of Afkhami as wife, sister, mother, and grandmother.

Women In Iran: From the Shah to the Islamic Republic-زنان در ایران؛ از پهلوی تا جمهوری اسلامی

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]….

Democracy Courage Tribute Acceptance Speech on Behalf of the Iranian Women’s Movement

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.”

Interview with Mahnaz Afkhami, the second woman minister in the history of Iran (In Persian)

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 in pre revolutionary Iran, and using economic development goals as a way of advancing the status of women and promoting reform of family law. BBC Persian [...]

From the Margins to the Center: Women and Democracy in the Middle East (In Persian)

Washington TV / By Amir Irani-Tehrani

A Woman For All Seasons (In Persian)

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.

ایالات متحده آمريکا در کنار زنان ایران ایستاده است

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:

International Women’s Day of Solidarity (In Persian)

گفتگو با مهناز افخمی بمناسبت روز جهانی زن (VOA Persian)
On the occasion of international women’s day, Mahnaz Afkhami joins the show to discuss the meaning of the 8th of March as a day solidarity.

Betty Friedan, Mahnaz Afkhami and Iran (In Persian)

گفتگو با مهناز افخمی بمناسبت درگذشت بتی فريدن، فعال حقوق زنان آمريک (VOA Persian)

On the passing of Betty Friedan, Mahnaz Afkhami looks back on Betty Friedan’s visit to Iran in 1974, and their subsequent work together in the United States.