While the status of women in Tunisia has historically been the highest in the Arab world, Mahnaz Afkhami emphasizes the need to ensure that women’s rights are upheld in the new government following the Arab Spring. As stated in this piece in Women’s eNews, Mahnaz Afkhami “knows how tenuous women’s rights can be and how…
Author: mahnazafkhami
Women Could Promote Rights Through Islam
US News & World Report interviewed Mahnaz Afkhami and Melanne Verveer on Muslim values and women’s rights. While some places in northern Africa have seen gains in women’s rights, Afkhami cautions that progress can be revoked under conservative leadership.
Mahnaz Afkhami Testifies at U.S. Senate Hearing "Women and the Arab Spring"
Mahnaz Afkhami testified at a US Senate Hearing on November 2, 2011, on the subject of women and the Arab Spring. “It is therefore of utmost importance for women’s equality in these countries undergoing radical transformation that the United States give its explicit support for women’s full and equal participation in national reform processes,” Afkhami…
Challenging the Architecture of Human Relations
In an interview with openDemocracy, Mahnaz Afkhami discusses the role of transnational women’s networks in promoting women’s rights around the globe. “We decided to establish a transnational women’s organization that focused on finding ways to dent if not immediately change this “architecture of human relations,” the way people relate to each other, make choices, and…
Women In Iran: From the Pahlavi era to the Islamic Republic
This article, penned by Mahnaz Afkhami, addresses the activities of Women’s Organization of Iran before the 1979 Revolution. Afkhami, who was the Secretary General of this non-profit organization, elaborates on its activities in early 1970s. The main focus of those activities – undertaken by women volunteers in 400 branches of this organization nationwide – was…
What Will Uprisings Mean For Women's Rights In The Arab World?
NPR News speaks with Mahnaz Afkhami and Lina Abou-Habib on the role of women in the pro-democracy uprisings of the Arab Spring. Afkhami speaks about democracy-building, family laws, and making space for inclusive civil society.
Suicide of Iran Shah's son, Alireza Pahlavi, caps life of sorrow in exile
Mahnaz Afhami speaks to Christian Science Monitor regarding the suicide of Alireza Pahlevi, the youngest son of the late shah of Iran. Like Afkhami, Pahlevi was living in exile in the US and was deeply affected by the Iranian revolution. Afhami states: “It’s a matter of loss of identity, loss of connections.. And all the…
KQED Interview: Women in the Middle East
Mahnaz Afkhami speaks to KQED Public Radio on the revolutionary role of women in the Middle East. She is joined by Isobel Coleman, senior fellow for US foreign policy at the Council on Foreing Relations, and Ayaan Hirsi Ali, author of books including “Infidel” and “The Caged Virgin.”