A Dozen Young Women Move to The Rhythm of Banned Music; Their Dance Is a Quiet Rebellion Against the Rules of the Islamic Republic Iran
New Age Islam News Bureau
07 May 2025
· A Dozen Young Women Move to The Rhythm of Banned Music; Their Dance Is a Quiet Rebellion Against the Rules of the Islamic Republic Iran
· Iranian Woman, Marziyeh Esmaili, Executed for Drug Offenses at Qazvin Prison
· The Only Female Minister, Hind Kabawat, in Syria’s New Government Wants to ‘Get Things Done’
· Thousands Greet Bangladesh Ex-PM Zia As She Returns Home Amid Political Resurgence
· Dialogue forum highlights women’s role in shaping Jordan's political future
· ‘Hijab Was Removed Without Her Consent’: Congresswoman Tells Mehdi About Visit with Detained Student
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/rhythm-banned-music-iran-women-dance/d/135459
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A Dozen Young Women Move to The Rhythm of Banned Music; Their Dance Is a Quiet Rebellion Against the Rules of the Islamic Republic Iran
(Photo: IranWire)
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MAY 7, 2025
Avina Shokouhi
As night falls over Tehran, shadows move across the walls of a quiet villa on the city’s edge.
Inside, a dozen young women move to the rhythm of banned music; their dance is a quiet rebellion against the rules the Islamic Republic has enforced for over four decades.
For these brief hours, the hidden space becomes what Rudaki Hall once was - a sanctuary for an art form that thrives despite systematic efforts to erase it.
Beyond these walls, the dancers risk arrest, harassment, and imprisonment. Yet still, they dance.
The story of dance in Iran is one of resilience - an art form enduring hardship, waiting for the chance to shine again.
In 1967, Rudaki Hall - now known as Vahdat Hall - opened its doors in Tehran with a mission: to showcase ballet, Iranian folk dances, and classical music.
At that time, dance was recognized as one of the seven classical arts and gradually earned its rightful place in Iranian culture.
The National Ballet of Iran trained dancers there, developing a unique Iranian style until everything changed in 1979.
The Islamic Revolution swept through the country like a tempest, bringing with it strict interpretations of Islamic law that deemed dance, especially by women, immoral and forbidden.
Overnight, professional dancers faced an impossible choice: abandon their art, flee their homeland, or retreat into the shadows.
Many gifted performers emigrated, while others entered a kind of internal exile, their talents confined to private living rooms and basement studios.
For decades, the art form languished only in the margins of society, and its practitioners were branded immoral, its techniques passed down in whispered lessons behind closed doors.
Then came the digital revolution.
With the arrival of satellite television and later social media, dance began to re-emerge. Like other prohibited activities in Iran, it found new life in online communities where young Iranians could watch their global peers move freely to music.
Dancing started reclaiming its status, not as a moral transgression, but as a legitimate art form.
Authorities responded with predictable severity. Crackdowns intensified, especially following the eruption of the Woman, Life, Freedom movement in 2022.
Police raids targeted dance gatherings, and young performers found themselves arrested for the crime of expression through movement.
"After one of my students' dance videos went viral on social media and they were arrested, they came after me too," Sarina recalls.
"Plainclothes officers from the Revolutionary Guards detained me for several days. They said, 'We have nothing against you; just don’t do these things anymore.' They made me sign a pledge and then released me."
She stopped teaching for two months.
But the call of her twenty-year passion proved too strong and could not be silenced.
"I realized I couldn’t abandon what I’ve devoted twenty years to," she says. "My husband has always supported and encouraged me to continue. I will keep my love for dance and my country alive until the day of freedom."
Today, dance in Iran exists in a parallel world - an underground network of private academies, word-of-mouth referrals, and constant caution.
In her private academy, Sarina teaches Iranian styles, pop, traditional, Sama, salsa, hip-hop, high heels, and belly dancing.
Her students are primarily teenagers, and their performances sometimes find their way to social media despite the risks.
Shahrzad, another dance instructor based in the conservative city of Mashhad, faces even steeper challenges.
For ten years, she has taught classical and Iranian folk dances, Arabic, Kormanji, Azeri, Baluch, Bandari, love dances, children’s dance, ballet, Sama, and salsa - all in the shadow of Mashhad’s ultraconservative Friday
prayer leader, who has even banned music concerts in the city.
"The biggest problem for dance in Iran is that it’s prohibited," Shahrzad explains. "This prohibition makes it a sinful act, contradicting the ruling ideology. Dance is considered even more threatening to the authorities than music itself."
The logistical challenges are immense. Finding suitable venues is among the biggest hurdles.
"Such a place doesn't exist officially, so it all has to be completely underground," says Shahrzad.
"Wherever we teach, we live in fear of the authorities. The risk is high in sports clubs because not every owner is willing to take that chance. All the responsibility falls on the instructor’s shoulders."
The solution? Secret underground locations with soundproofed walls to muffle the music. Classes are often held in private villas to avoid raising suspicion.
Even getting proper equipment is difficult - professional dance shoes must be handmade or imported by travelers from abroad.
"It’s sad that in the twenty-first century, in the corner of the Middle East, women’s dancing and singing are still considered forbidden and sinful," says Shahrzad.
"I’ve longed for a standard hall to dance in for years. That dream still weighs heavily on my heart."
For both Sarina and Shahrzad, teaching dance transcends mere artistic expression. It is a form of resistance against the oppressive restrictions placed on women's freedom in Iran.
After her brief detention, Sarina returned to teaching with renewed purpose.
"When I saw women singing and dancing on social media every day or appearing in public without the mandatory hijab, I told myself, I’m one of them too," she says.
"I’m not doing anything wrong. I’m teaching one of the seven arts. So I put aside my fear and courageously entered a new chapter of dance instruction."
Shahrzad expresses her resolve more defiantly: "The most important thing that kept me going was disobedience. Disobedience to reclaim a right that was taken from me and the women of my homeland."
Both women see their work deeply tied to the broader struggle for women’s liberation in Iran.
They view dance as an embodiment of the Woman, Life, Freedom movement that challenges the Islamic Republic’s restrictions on women.
"Dance is a form of multiplying courage," says Sarina. "It’s a struggle for the recognition of an art that has been labeled haram for four decades based on unfounded religious claims."
Source: iranwire.com
https://iranwire.com/en/features/140975-hope-in-every-move-how-dance-becomes-protest-in-the-heart-of-iran/
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Iranian Woman, Marziyeh Esmaili, Executed for Drug Offenses at Qazvin Prison
MAY 7, 2025
A 40-year-old mother has been executed on drug-related charges at Qazvin Central Prison, according to human rights monitors.
Marziyeh Esmaili, a resident of Abhar in Zanjan province, was executed on April 15.
Esmaili had been imprisoned for four years prior to her execution. She was sentenced to death by the judiciary of the Islamic Republic of Iran for drug-related offenses.
The execution took place at Qazvin Central Prison, also known as Choubindar, the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights reported.
According to Mai Sato, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran, at least 169 people were executed in January and February.
In her first presentation to the UN Human Rights Council, Sato warned that if this pace continues, Iran could carry out more than 1,000 executions this year.
“I am very concerned about the rapid rise in the number of executions, especially in just the last two months,” Sato told IranWire in an exclusive interview following her presentation.
“I believe, looking at last year’s patterns, January and February are usually quiet months, but we’ve already identified at least 169 executions,” she added.
Source: iranwire.com
https://iranwire.com/en/women/140979-iranian-woman-executed-for-drug-offenses-at-qazvin-prison/
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The Only Female Minister, Hind Kabawat, in Syria’s New Government Wants to ‘Get Things Done’
May 6, 2025
In a white pantsuit, Hind Kabawat stood out a mile, the only woman in a line-up of 23 men in suits, all ministers of the interim Syrian government just sworn in, flanking the president.
“I want more women and I did tell the president the first day we met,” Ms. Kabawat said in an interview a few days after her appointment. “This is for me very important because it wasn’t very comfortable to be there.”
Her appointment as minister of social affairs and labor has been welcomed by many in Syria and internationally, both as a woman and as a representative of Syria’s Christian minority. It was taken as a sign that Syria’s new leader, President Ahmed al-Shara, was broadening his government beyond his tight circle of rebel fighters to include a wider selection of technocrats and members of Syria’s ethnic and religious minorities.
Long designated a terrorist by the United Nations Security Council, Mr. al-Shara became president in January after leading a rebel offensive that overthrew the dictatorship of Bashar al-Assad last year. Since then he has consolidated power and been widely accepted as the de facto leader, even while coming under strong international pressure to combat terrorism and moderate his rule.
Ms. Kabawat, a diplomat’s daughter and university teacher, including in the United States, has a long record of work in exile among Syrian refugees and with the opposition to the former dictatorship. She had no qualms about accepting a role in Mr. al-Shara’s new government, she said.
“He listens to people, and this is the good thing about him,” she said of the president. “Every time there is a problem, we can send messages and they listen, they discuss. And this is their flexibility.”
“Don’t forget also that he’s young,” she added about Mr. al-Shara, 42. “They’re all young, by the way, and they know that. If they’re not going to be flexible, listen to others, they’re not going run a country that includes everybody. And if there is a mistake, we correct it together. We learn together and we empower each other. So he knows that he cannot run a country like Syria alone.”
‘We Can Help the People’
Before the rebels took Damascus, Ms. Kabawat had experience working with Mr. al-Shara during the eight years he ran the rebel-held northwestern province of Idlib.
After he took power, she helped convene a national dialogue conference, bringing together hundreds of representatives from all over Syria to draw up recommendations on a new constitution, a system of government and holding elections in the next five years.
She said she was glad to be offered a serious portfolio, overseeing what was formerly two ministries for social affairs and labor, now combined into one.
“It’s because of this ministry, that I accepted,” she said. “Because we can help the people.”
That won’t be easy. She has inherited a sprawling institution in a virtually bankrupt country. She admitted she did not yet know how many employees she had under her, nor the size of her budget.
On her first day at the office, she gathered her department heads, a collection of bureaucrats from the former regime, officials from the rebel-led administration and opposition activists, including one who survived detention in Syria’s notorious prisons.
“We have to start work based on trust and cooperate with each other,” she told them. “Just remember who is our main boss, it is the Syrian people.”
Her mission, she said, was to use her experience in teaching conflict resolution and interfaith dialogue to reform the ministry from a tool of dictatorship into one that serves the vulnerable.
“Even if I leave after one year or whatever, I leave something good for a generation,” she said. “This is what I want.”
Falling Out With al-Assad
Ms. Kabawat, who declined to give her age, was born in India. She lived with her parents in London and Egypt, then moved back to Damascus for school, first at a Christian convent and then at the LycéeFrancais Charles de Gaulle. She later earned a degree in economics at Damascus University.
Her heart is in Damascus, especially the narrow streets of the old city, where she raised her two children — she has a granddaughter — and still lives with her husband, a businessman. These days she walks through twisting alleys in the morning to reach her car to go to work.
For 14 years, she said, she dreamed of returning to smell the orange blossom in her courtyard. But after the repression of pro-democracy protests degenerated into a civil war, she was forced to stay away.
Her exile began in 2011 after giving a speech in New York about Syria’s multiethnic society, which displeased Mr. al-Assad. She was told not to return. “He doesn’t like this narrative that Christians and Muslims can live together,” she said of the former president.
She tried to maintain a dialogue with Mr. al-Assad, who attended the same school as her, and whose wife she knew. When the protests broke out in 2012, she urged him to negotiate with the demonstrators.
“I called his mother, I spoke with his wife,” she said. “We sent him a clear message, don’t do this. You cannot kill civilians, because this is our job in life, to defend and to protect civilians. He didn’t listen.”
She had already started a teaching career, after obtaining degrees from the American University of Beirut and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, and working as a lawyer in Canada.
She has directed the Syria program at George Mason University’s Center for World Religions, Diplomacy and Conflict Resolution since 2004, and the Syrian Center for Dialogue, Peace and Reconciliation in Toronto. Over the years she taught thousands of Syrian students the power of interfaith dialogue and conflict resolution. Some of them work with her today.
In 2015 she co-founded the Tastakel Association, a woman-led nonprofit organization focused on building a democratic society for all Syrians, although she has stepped away from the organization and resigned from her teaching post on joining the government.
She became well known to Syrians when she was named one of only two women alongside 30 men to the High Negotiation Committee, which was for several years the main body representing the Syrian opposition in the U.N.-supported peace process for Syria.
“It was very tough,” she said. “But we acquired very thick skins.”
Among the many statements welcoming her appointment, the TanenbaumCenter for Interreligious Understanding, a nonprofit in New York, said her experience made her a “strong fit” to help secure a more peaceful future for Syrians of all backgrounds.
‘Let’s Get Things Done’
In the course of several meetings with The New York Times, she repeatedly called for the United States to lift sanctions on Syria, which were placed on the country during the Assad regime, but are still in force and are crippling the economy by restricting trade, investment and international transfers.
“If the U.S. keeps the sanctions on us, there will be lots of refugee women and children, without a future,” she said. “Lifting the sanctions is not anything to do with politics anymore, it’s to do with human beings.”
She said the Syrian government had met most of the conditions listed recently by a White House spokeswoman. “We’ve ticked a lot of boxes,” she said. “If there is something they don’t like, we can negotiate. Let’s sit down at the table and figure it out.”
“The important thing is we got rid of a war criminal,” she said. “We got rid of the big obstacles, now let’s get things done.”
Source: nytimes.com
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/06/world/middleeast/syria-female-minister-government.html
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Thousands Greet Bangladesh Ex-PM Zia As She Returns Home Amid Political Resurgence
06 May 2025
DHAKA, May 6 — Bangladesh’s ex-prime minister Khaleda Zia, chair of the powerful Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), returned home to cheering crowds today after months abroad for medical treatment.
Zia, 79, led the South Asian nation twice but was jailed for corruption in 2018 during the tenure of Sheikh Hasina, her successor and lifelong rival who barred her from travelling abroad for medical care.
The 79-year-old was released from house arrest after a student-led mass uprising ousted Hasina in August 2024.
She flew to Britain in January and returned today, BNP spokesperson ShairulKabir said.
Thousands of party activists welcomed her, gathering on either side of the road leading to the airport, carrying photographs of Zia and waving party flags and placards with welcome messages.
Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, 84, who has led an interim government since Hasina fled into exile as crowds stormed her palace, has said elections will be held as early as December, and by June 2026 at the latest.
“This is a significant day for the country and the people of Bangladesh,” Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, the BNP’s secretary general, told reporters.
“The celebration we are witnessing is not only an outpouring of emotion but also a demonstration of our strength.”
Zia’s rival Hasina remains in self-imposed exile in India and has defied an arrest warrant from Dhaka over charges of crimes against humanity. — AFP
Source: malaymail.com
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https://www.malaymail.com/news/world/2025/05/06/thousands-greet-bangladesh-ex-pm-zia-as-she-returns-home-amid-political-resurgence/175785
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Dialogue forum highlights women’s role in shaping Jordan's political future
May 06,2025
AMMAN — The Solidarity is Global Institute (SIGI) held a dialogue forum titled "Women's Participation in Political Life" as part of its “Safe Pathways” initiative, supported by the African Development Fund.
The institute stressed that Jordan’s ongoing political reforms present a “real” chance to elevate women's roles in public life, especially in leadership and decision-making positions, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.
It pointed to the results of the 20th Parliamentary elections, which saw 27 women elected, 18 through the quota and 9 through the general list, as a “notable” milestone.
The event gathered current and former female MPs, civil society representatives, youth leaders, and local community figures, where participants underscored that women’s presence in the Parliament is not only symbolic but essential to “meaningful” engagement in drafting legislation, particularly on matters impacting women and families.
Speakers stressed that women's political participation must be seen as a “national obligation” rather than a symbolic achievement, calling for a stronger commitment by female lawmakers to legislative efforts that promote justice, fairness, and leadership rooted in equality.
Challenges facing women in political office were also discussed.
Former MP AmalRufou of the 16th Parliament pointed to prevailing social norms as a major obstacle, noting that although the current legal framework offers broader chances for women to run for office, cultural barriers still hinder full participation.
Rufou stressed that promoting awareness of democratic rights is vital to increasing the number of women engaging in political life, which would ultimately lead to more balanced and inclusive representation.
Former MPs NajahAzza and Asma Rawahneh reflected on their parliamentary experience, highlighting how legislative proposals related to women’s rights often encounter political resistance.
Participants called on civil society organisations to involve men more actively in advocacy work, stressing that women's issues are national concerns that impact all segments of society.
The forum concluded with several recommendations, including integrating male and female leaders into specialised training on legislation and parliamentary oversight, and enhancing women’s representation in parliamentary committees, mainly the Legal Committee.
SIGI has previously held similar dialogue sessions in Irbid, Amman and Zarqa, in collaboration with stakeholders from various sectors.
These meetings have reached women working in agriculture, education, health, industry, local governance, and women with disabilities and those undergoing cancer treatment.
Source: jordantimes.com
https://jordantimes.com/news/local/dialogue-forum-highlights-womens-role-shaping-jordans-political-future
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‘Hijab Was Removed Without Her Consent’: Congresswoman Tells Mehdi About Visit With Detained Student
MEHDI HASAN AND TEAM ZETEO
MAY 07, 2025
It’s been over a month since shocking footage emerged of masked ICE agents arresting Tufts Doctoral Student RümeysaÖztürk, after her visa was terminated simply for co-authoring an op-ed in the student newspaper calling for the university to divest in Israel.
Since then, Rümeysa has been confined to an ICE detention center in Louisiana, where her US Representative, Ayanna Pressley, met with her late last month.
In this powerful interview for ‘Mehdi Unfiltered,’ Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley tells Mehdi about the “harrowing” conditions Rümeysa has been facing in her detention center – which Pressley says, “has a long documented history of human rights violations and abuses.”
“She suffered several very severe asthma attacks while there, received inadequate medical care. There has been no religious accommodation, in fact, not only on a dietary aspect, but when it comes to a space to pray, a Quran. Her hijab was removed without her consent by one of the nurses,” Pressley tells Mehdi.
Pressley emphasizes to Mehdi how the Trump administration has completely ignored due process, and explains just how dire the implications of Rümeysa’s case are for the country.
“This is laying the ground foundationally and will be a threat to everyone. This means that this could be you tomorrow for suffering a miscarriage, because in Trump's America, that's been criminalized. This means this could be you tomorrow for reading a banned book,” Pressley says. “With this dictator in chief, simply because you have a dissenting opinion from his worldview, you could find yourself incarcerated.”
During the second half of the interview, Mehdi asks Pressley about President Donald Trump’s first 100 days of his second term, as well as the state of the Democratic party.
“I do not believe, Mehdi, that this is about weathering the next four years. I believe this will dictate the next 100,” Pressley says to Mehdi.
Source: zeteo.com
https://zeteo.com/p/hijab-was-removed-without-her-consent
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