Religious Dissent and Women in Iran

Book of the Day: Rage Against the Veil: the Courageous Life and Death of an Islamic Dissident, by Parvin Darabi and Romin P. Thomson.

What is it like to live as a woman in a strict Islamic society? Or better yet, what is it like to live in such a society when you are a well-educated, talented, politically active, and self-assured woman who knows what she wants in life? It's tough to imagine such a situation, but Parvin Darabi tells the story of one such person: her sister. Unfortunately, her sister is unable to tell us herself because she committed suicide by burning herself to death in Tehran. What drove her to such an act of desperation?

Further Reading:

• Recent Books on Islam
• Islam
• Religion in Iran
• Shia Islam