We are on the eve of the third anniversary of the Women, Life, Freedom movement, a revolutionary movement that has transformed not only the political structure but also the cultural, social, artistic, and moral fabric of the country.
The achievements of this movement over the past three years, alongside international pressures—especially after Israel’s 12-day war against Iran and the U.S. maximum pressure campaign—include the gradual collapse of the Velayat-e Faqih system, fractures within forces inside the regime, and the spread of courage among pro-democracy civil and political activists inside Iran.
Although armed government patrols are less visible, music and celebration can be heard in some shopping centers, clubs and restaurants have taken new forms, and women have gained relative freedoms in their dress, at least in certain public spaces. Yet, in contrast to these developments, execution gallows still stand, corruption, misery, and poverty dominate across Iran, and women remain second-class citizens under the law.
In the first part of Hijab – Compulsory Life, Sahar Naseri, together with Nazila Golestan from Iran Hamāva and Mansoureh Hosseini-Yeganeh, a researcher and journalist specializing in women’s issues, evaluate the path Iranian women have taken from March 1979 until today. They examine whether the Islamic regime has made concessions to women to preserve its survival and prevent widespread protests, or whether these are genuine retreats in the face of popular resistance.
The Hamāva podcast series aims to expand the national discourse around universal values, democracy, the separation of religion and state, human rights, and gender equality.
Within such a framework, through collective wisdom, we can work toward a free and proud Iran for all Iranians, regardless of their beliefs, ideas, gender, or ethnicity.