In an interview conducted by Radio Farda, Mahnaz Afkhami speaks about her time as the Minister of Women’s Affairs in pre-revolutionary Iran, including the obstacles she faced in addressing women’s issues. Afkhami also corrects the misconception that the Shah was the one and only decision maker for the country, saying his ministers were truly powerful…
Tag: Minister for Women’s Affairs
BBC: The History Hour: Women's Rights in Iran
Max Pearson’s The History Hour on the BBC World Service featured Mahnaz Afkhami on 17 Feb 2018. Afkhami was asked about her role as Iran’s first ever minister on Women’s Affairs: “It was a very interesting experience. There were 20 men and I was the only woman and I was very young….When I had meetings,…
Iran's New Crackdown on Women
In July, 2017, the Daily Beast covered the uptick in violence against prominent women’s rights activists in Iran. “Mahnaz Afkhami, who served as minister of state for women’s affairs under the pre-revolutionary government of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, and now runs the Women’s Learning Project in Bethesda, Maryland, says that in recent months, the Iranian…
A Night to Celebrate Courageous Refugees and Migrants
In October, 2015, the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service honored Mahnaz Afkhami with the Walk of Courage Award for her commitment to walking alongside and raising the voices of migrants and immigrants. The keynote address was delivered by Enrique’s Journey author, Sonia Nazario.
EPOCA Interview: Mahnaz Afkhami on How the Struggle for More Rights in Iran Has Yielded Gains
In an interview with Brazilian magazine, EPOCA, Mahnaz Afkhami speaks about Ghoncheh Ghavami in Tehran, who was arrested for trying to watch a volleyball game as a woman. The interview addresses Afkhami’s prominent role as a women’s rights activist living in exile. “In the episode of the game of volleyball, Afkhami believes the incessant media…
Last Female Minister: Khomeini Introduced the Sexual Apartheid, but Iranian Women Are Successfully Fighting Against It
In an interview with Croatian magazine, Tportal, Mahnaz Afkami speaks about the women who participated in the Arab Spring, progress made on women’s rights in Iran, and her broad knowledge of Iran and the Islamic world.
Reader's Review: Woman at Point Zero by Nawal El Saadawi
Diane Rehm hosted Mahnaz Afkahmi on her radio show to discuss the book, Woman at Point Zero, by Nawal El Saadawi, a story of a woman in Egypt who is forced into prostitution and later arrested. Afkhami discusses the novel’s contribution to radical feminism in the region, women’s rights and the patriarchy, and the relevance…
Radio Pooya Interview with Mahnaz Afkhami (In Persian)
At this interview conducted by Iranian novelist Shahrnush Parsipur, Mahnaz Afkhami recounts her life story, starting from the time she taught English literature at the National University of Iran, trying to “help create a cohesive community of female students who could face the modern world” to the time when she set up Women’s Learning Partnership…