Parvin Darabi ( fa, پروین دارابی; born 1941,

Tehran Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most popul ...

) is an

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

ian-born

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

activist Activism (or Advocacy) consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived greater good. Forms of activism range fro ...

writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles and techniques to communicate ideas. Writers produce different forms of literary art and creative writing such as novels, short stories, books, poetry, travelogues, p ...

and defender of

women’s rights Women's rights are the rights and entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st centuries. In some countries, ...

Background

Darabi studied at

California State University Northridge California State University, Northridge (CSUN or Cal State Northridge) is a public university in the Northridge neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. With a total enrollment of 38,551 students (as of Fall 2021), it has the second largest un ...

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in C ...

and

Pepperdine University Pepperdine University () is a private research university affiliated with the Churches of Christ with its main campus in Los Angeles County, California. Pepperdine's main campus consists of 830 acres (340 ha) overlooking the Pacific Ocean and t ...

, and

California Coast University California Coast University (CCU) is a private for-profit online university based in Santa Ana, California. It is accredited by the Distance Education Accrediting Commission and approved by the State of California. Approximately 8,000 student ...

. Parvin worked as an electronic systems engineer, program manager, company president, and engineering consultant until 1994. From 1985 to 1990 she owned and operated her own Company PT Enterprises, in Mountain View, California where they developed the most sensitive Radar Detector presently on the German Naval Vessels active in NATO. Her elder sister,

Homa Darabi Homa Darabi ( fa, هما دارابی; 1940–1994) was an Iranian pediatrician, academic, and political activist affiliated with the Nation Party of Iran. She is known for her political self-immolation in protest to the compulsory hijab, whi ...

, committed suicide in 1994 by burning herself in

Tajrish square Tajrish ( fa, تجريش, , also romanized as Tajrīš) is a neighbourhood of Tehran, capital of Iran. Administratively it is in Shemiranat County, Tehran Province. It used to be a village and later was absorbed into the city of Tehran. The Tajri ...

to protest against the

Iranian government The Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran ( fa, نظام جمهوری اسلامی ایران, Neẓām-e jomhūrī-e eslāmi-e Irān, known simply as ''Neẓām'' ( fa, نظام, lit=the system) among its supporters) is the ruling state a ...

. Since then, Parvin has become an

. She wrote the book ''

Rage Against the Veil ''Rage Against the Veil: The Courageous Life and Death of an Islamic Dissident'' is a book by Parvin Darabi, an Iranian critic of Islam. The book is about Parvin's sister, Homa Darabi, who on February 21, 1994 committed suicide by immolation i ...

'' and speaking out against Iran's regime and

Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...

. She also established the Homa Darabi foundation, her intention was to secular state, to democracy to gender equality. Parvin along with Lydia Sparksworthy co-authored a book ''" Women of Truckee Making History"'' which chronicles the lives of 30 influential women in

Truckee, California Truckee is an incorporated town in Nevada County, California, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 16,180, reflecting an increase of 2,316 from the 13,864 counted in the 2000 Census and having the 316th highe ...

Views on Shia Islam

Darabi has said that there are many laws in Shi'a Islam that would turn off any educated person completely, one of them being

temporary marriage Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between ...

, which she terms as "religiously sanctioned prostitution." Darabi has said that the only thing the Islamic Republic of Iran brought was poverty and misery.

Works

Rage Against the Veil

''Rage Against the Veil'' is a book about Parvin's sister, Homa Darabi, who on February 21, 1994 committed suicide.

Women of Truckee Making History

''Women of Truckee Making History'' is a book that celebrates local women for their contributions to the community of

.Truckee women honored in book
It was compiled, designed and edited by two Truckee women, Parvin Darabi an
Lydia Sparksworthy
The book was published in 2002 by the Homa Darabi Foundation, a non-profit organisation dedicated to human rights issues mostly related to women. The book details the lives of 30 influential women in Truckee. The criteria for selecting the 30 women required applicants to live or work full-time in Truckee, and “to be actively involved in voluntarism which required dedication above and beyond normal eight-to-five, 40-hours-a week paid employment.”

References

External links

Dr. Homa Darabi FoundationSelf-Immolation in Tajrish Square, Tehran
- OnTheIssues.com, the Progressive Woman's Quarterly

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Darabi, Parvin 1941 births Critics of Shia Islam Iranian emigrants to the United States Living people Iranian activists Iranian former Shia Muslims