The WSU Humanities Center invites faculty, students, staff, and the community to a Brown Bag talk given by Layla Saatchi (Assistant Professor, Honors College) on "The Islamic Republic of Iran is neither Islamic nor a Republic; it’s just Iran"

Abstract:

On September 16, 2022, Mahsa Amini died while in custody of the Basij, or Iran’s morality police. The Iranian authorities claim, without evidence, that she died of pre-existing health conditions. Ms. Amini’s family and friends maintain that she was in good health and based on video footage of the Basij committing physical violence towards her, they argue that her death was caused by injuries suffered at the hands of the authorities. Ms. Amini was taken into custody on the grounds that she was not observing appropriate hijab, namely that her pants were too tight and that her head scarf was not properly covering her hair. Her death has brought unity to disparate social and political groups who are disillusioned and dissatisfied with the Islamic regime that has been in power since 1979, resulting in a unifying cry for “Women, Life, Freedom!” There are several interests reflected in this slogan, but I’m going to concentrate on the hijab and women’s freedom because women have been the most visible and most profoundly influential demographic for change in Iran throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. In this paper, I’m going to argue that requiring hijab is neither consistent with the political values of a republic, not is it consistent with the ethical principles of Islam, therefore the protesters are justified in calling for the dismantling of the political institutions of the Islamic Republic.

Please RSVP for this event in order to receive the Zoom link.