Iran: Zanan Women's Magazine Ordered to Close After 16 Years

31/01/2008: On Tuesday word emerged that Iran's leading women's magazine has been ordered to close. (LA Times)

Zanan Magazine, a reform-minded feminist magazine has been active in promoting women's rights for the last 16 years. Authorities revoked its license and folks in Tehran say there's no hope for appeal.

Managing director Shahla Sherkat was once a hard-line supporter of the Iranian government but became disillusioned after the Iran-Iraq war. Zanan managed to survive previous crackdowns by cautiously avoiding general politics and focusing on women's issues.

But that didn't work, apparently.

According to preliminary reports it was banned for allegedly portraying a negative image of women in Iran, but no official word has emerged yet.

The Iranian Journalists Assn. condemned the closure. In the last two years, 40 periodicals, including Zanan, have been banned across the country by the Press Supervision Board, which is controlled by hard-liners.

The closure inspired cynical commentary from Iranian bloggers. "I think the average life of a magazine is no longer than the time required for getting the 'publishing licence,' wrote Jadi, a blogger at Inside Iran:

Zanan (means women) used to be a "moderate" magazine. It never wrote anything extreme to prevent its closing. But now, after 16 years the only Persian women's magazine is closed.

By: Ramin Mostaghim

29 January 2008

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General short translation from AKI Italian Media:

Tehran, 28 January.- (Aki) - The Iranian Court has arranged today the closing of “Zanan” (Women), Magazine, founded 16 years ago and directed by Shahla Sherkat Zanan has for years been a space of comparison between the several spirits of Iranian feminism, and has been always in the fight for the fundamental rights of women.

http://www.adnkronos.com/AKI/Italiano/CulturaEMedia/?id=1.0.1819683259

Iran: giudice ordina chiusura Zanan, principale pubblicazione femminista

La direttrice accusata di compromettere salute mentale delle lettrici

Teheran, 28 gen. - (Aki) - Un tribunale iraniano ha disposto oggi la chiusura di 'Zanan' (Donne), rivista fondata 16 anni fa e diretta fino a oggi da Shahla Sherkat, figura di spicco del femminismo islamico iraniano. Zanan, di orientamento islamico, ha offerto per anni uno spazio di confronto tra le varie anime del femminismo iraniano, ed è stata sempre in prima fila nella lotta per i diritti fondamentali delle donne. La sua direttrice è stata portavoce della resistenza delle donne musulmane alle imposizioni della gerarchia religiosa, che in nome dell'Islam ha cercato di imporre alle donne iraniane una visione maschilista della società. Shahla Sherkat, che qualche anno fa è stata a Roma su invito del ministero per le Pari Opportunità, per parlare della condizione femminile in Iran, deve ora affrontare anche un processo, in quanto accusata di aver offerto "un'immagine nera della Repubblica Islamica attraverso le pagine di Zanan". L'altra accusa contro la direttrice è quella di aver "compromesso la psiche e la salute mentale" delle sue lettrici, fornendo loro "informazioni moralmente discutibili".

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