''Zanan'' ( fa, زنان, italic=yes, lit=Women) was a monthly

women's magazine This is a list of women's magazines from around the world. These are magazines that have been published primarily for a readership of women. Currently published *'' 10 Magazine'' (UK - distributed worldwide) *'' Al Jamila'' (Saudi Arabia) *''All ...

published in Iran. It was the only Persian women's magazine in the country. The magazine ceased publication in 2008, but was relaunched on 29 May 2014. In September 2014, its founder and editor

Shahla Sherkat Shahla Sherkat (born March 30, 1956) is an Iranian journalist, publisher, author, feminist, women's rights activist. She is a prominent Persian feminist author, and one of the pioneers of Women's rights movement in Iran. Biography Sherkat was ...

was charged in Iran's Press Court (part of the

Islamic Revolutionary Court Islamic Revolutionary Court (also Revolutionary Tribunal, ''Dadgahha-e Enqelab''Bakhash, Shaul, ''Reign of the Ayatollahs'', Basic Books, 1984, p.59-61) (Persian: دادگاه انقلاب اسلامی) is a special system of courts in the Islamic ...

) for promoting un-Islamic and "obsolete" views and in April 2015, publication of the magazine was again suspended. It promoted women's rights for 16 years and had a total of 152 issues.

History

''Zanan'' was established by Sherkat in 1992 as a monthly magazine. ''Zanan'' focused on the concerns of Iranian women with an Islamic point of view and had intentions of protecting and promoting their rights. However, the monthly magazine tested the political waters with its edgy coverage of reform politics, domestic abuse, and sex. Article topics covered controversial issues from

domestic abuse Domestic violence (also known as domestic abuse or family violence) is violence or other abuse that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage or cohabitation. ''Domestic violence'' is often used as a synonym for ''intimate partner v ...

plastic surgery Plastic surgery is a surgical specialty involving the restoration, reconstruction or alteration of the human body. It can be divided into two main categories: reconstructive surgery and cosmetic surgery. Reconstructive surgery includes craniofa ...

. It argued that gender equality was Islamic and that religious literature had been misread and misappropriated by misogynists.

Mehangiz Kar Professor Mehrangiz Kar ( fa, مهرانگیز کار) (born 10 October 1944 Ahvaz, Iran), a human rights lawyer from Iran, is an internationally recognized writer, speaker and activist who advocates for the defense of women’s and human rights in ...

Shahla Lahiji Shahla Lahiji (born 1942) ( fa, شهلا لاهیجی) is an Iranian writer, publisher, translator, women's rights activist, and the director of Roshangaran, a publishing house on women's issues. Career and activities Lahiji completed a degree in s ...

, and

, the editors of ''Zanan'', led the debate on women's rights and demanded reforms. The leadership did not respond but, for the first time since the revolution, did not silence the movement. One of the major contributors was Hojjat ol-Eslam Seyyed Mohsen Saidzadeh. In January 2008 the Iranian regime under President

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Mahmoud Ahmadinejad ( fa, محمود احمدی‌نژاد, Mahmūd Ahmadīnežād ), born Mahmoud Sabbaghian ( fa, محمود صباغیان, Mahmoud Sabbāghyān, 28 October 1956),

closed the magazine down for "endangering the spiritual, mental and intellectual health of its readers, and threatening psychological security of the society" claiming it showed women in a "black light."Shutting Down Zanan
''The New York Times'' 7 February 2008. Retrieved 21 September 2008.

Relaunch and suspension

In June 2014, ''Zanan'' was relaunched by its original founder. The magazine was renamed ''

Zanan-e Emruz ''Zanan Emrooz'' is an Iranian monthly magazine owned by Shahla Sherkat which started its publication in June 2014. After 11 volumes, it was suspended in April 2015 and re-launched publication in October 2015. The magazine is a continuation of a for ...

'' (''Today's women'') with both printed and online editions. In September, 2014, Sherkat was charged with publishing pictures of women "considered as objects" - a violation of the censorship laws. The magazine itself was suspended in early 2015 after publishing its 10th issue. Iran's Press Oversight Committee stated that the magazine's content was "against public chastity, based on Article 6, Item 2 of the Press Law." The charges against Sherkat and the magazine's suspension were related to publication of a special issue discussing various aspects of cohabitation, dubbed "white marriage" in Iran - a practice that

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Sayyid Ali Hosseini Khamenei ( fa, سید علی حسینی خامنه‌ای, ; born 19 April 1939) is a Twelver Shia '' marja and the second and current Supreme Leader of Iran, in office since 1989. He was previously the third president ...

has denounced. The special issue had been picked up by international press and the

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...

published an article on the ''Zanans coverage and the practice itself.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zanan magazine 1992 establishments in Iran 2015 disestablishments in Iran Defunct magazines published in Iran Feminism in Iran Feminist magazines Magazines established in 1992 Magazines disestablished in 2008 Magazines established in 2014 Magazines disestablished in 2015 Monthly magazines published in Iran Persian-language magazines Women's magazines published in Iran Women's rights movement in Iran