Cartoon by Reza Jozani

Will Iranian women succeed in overthrowing the regime?

By Nina Kristiansen

Science Norway: Half a year after the protests in Iran started, people harbour both faith and doubt as to whether the revolution will succeed.

The protests started last autumn in the streets of Iran. They began when 22-year-old Mahsa Amini died after being arrested by the morality police for not following state hijab rules.

The demonstrations initially received abundant media coverage worldwide. Now the reporting has become quieter.

“I’m not seeing much in the international media now about what’s happening in Iran. But there’s a big feminist revolution that both men and women are participating in,” Shirin Ebadi said in a recent video interview at a meeting of PEN Norway in Oslo.

Ebadi is an Iranian lawyer, former judge, political activist and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize.

“People want to bring down the government, and it is faltering now,” said Ebadi.

Iran previously had two political currents, according to Ebadi. The disagreement has been between people who want to continue as a republic and those who want the monarchy back.

Monarch Shah Muhammed Reza Pahlavi was overthrown in 1979, and the Islamic Republic was subsequently established. Both inside and outside the country, many Iranians want the old system of government back.

“This disagreement has contributed to the longevity of the government’s hold on power in Iran. Now the opposition needs to work together,” Ebadi said in her interview >>>