Mick Hartley

What, in Iran, can a woman do, exceptionally, without the permission of father or husband? The answer's in this MEMRI article, about the forced closure of the women's magazine Zanan after it published a piece on the martyrdom movement and its endorsement by the government:

The conservative news agency Fars reported, citing a knowledgeable source, that the magazine had been shut down for "breaking the law and defaming military and revolutionary institutions, including the Basij," and for "publishing reports and [raising] issues that undermine [society's] spiritual security, morale, and ideological strength, and that create a sense of insecurity in society and discredit the status of women in the Islamic Republic of Iran."

The Zanan article in question dealt with the Iranian "martyrdom movement," which has been registering Iranian men and women for suicide operations and training some to carry out these operations. Zanan focused on the women volunteers, quoting Firooz Rajai-Far, a leader of the martyrdom movement and secretary-general of the World Islamic Organization Headquarters for Remembering the Shahids, as stating that some 20,000 women have already signed up for martyrdom operations, constituting a third of the volunteers. Rajai-Far stated that because martyrdom was a "religious duty," women did not require the permission of their fathers, their husbands, or "even of the ruling jurisprudent" – currently Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei – to volunteer for martyrdom operations. She also stated that she approved of sending even seven-year-old children on suicide missions during a war. Rajai-Far herself has signed up for martyrdom operations, and has threatened the U.S. with suicide operations against its interests in the Gulf.

There are some excerpts from the Zanan article:

"An old woman comes by and asks 'What's going on here?' The young woman behind the table replies, "Mother, which [option] would you like to register for? [A martyrdom operation] at one of the four holy sites in Iraq, [a martyrdom operation] against Salman Rushdie, or [a martyrdom operation] against the occupiers of Jerusalem?…

"The martyrdom seekers gradually arrive. At the sound of [his or her] name, each of them steps forward to receive the identification tags and to don the shroud.

"The Al-Usra Choir from Lebanon takes the stage and sings in Arabic. It looks as though, with the exception of the choir itself, nobody among the martyrdom seekers or the audience understands the lyrics. The only word recognized by all is muqawama – 'resistance.' At the sound of this word, spoken in a heavy Arabic accent, the martyrdom seekers raise their arms in a gesture which, I once read, symbolizes the oneness of God. The cameras begin to click, [taking] pictures that in a few hours will be circulated around the world.

"The sword writes in letters of blood – muqawama.

"See the blood spill

"Death to Israel

"Become one with this dead body that has the power to destroy [i.e. the dead body of the martyr]

"Death to Israel

"Like [blood]-red death [itself], have no mercy for the enemy's army "There is no difference between soldiers and settlers.