What Feminists Get Wrong About Iran

Описание: In this urgent episode of Feminists Against Antisemitism, journalist Nicole Lampert speaks with Nika Hazini and Niaz Maleknia, two Iranian women who grew up under the shadow of the 1979 revolution and have spent their adult lives watching their homeland fall deeper under a regime that brutalises women, minorities, and anyone who dares to oppose it.

The conversation traces Niaz and Nika’s childhood memories of the 1979 revolution, before unfolding how a broad anti‑Shah coalition of leftists and Islamists enabled the clerics’ rise, only for leftists to be crushed once Khomeini consolidated power. They explain how women were among the first targets, with a landmark mass feminist protest erupting the moment hijab was declared mandatory; and how, to this day, Iranian women face arrests and harsh penalties for unveiling, coercive “modesty” rules, and brutal violence, even as teenage girls have been at the forefront of the modern Women, Life, Freedom uprising.

They discuss the regime’s growing reliance on foreign militias, the long‑standing bond between Iranians and Jews, and the deafening silence of many Western feminists who, they argue, have absorbed regime propaganda without realising it. Presented as solidarity with Palestinians, these positions end up supporting Hamas, repeating Tehran’s messaging, erasing the oppression of Iranian women, and displaying an antisemitism that refuses to acknowledge the suffering of Jews or Iran’s role in fuelling the conflict.

You’ll come away with a deeper understanding of:
– the Iranian women’s revolution
– the geopolitical reality linking Iran, Israel and the West
– the failures and debates within Western feminist organisations
– what genuine feminist solidarity looks like
…and why Iranian women are quite literally fighting for their lives.

Watch, share, and stand with the brave women of Iran.

Nicole Lampert (Moderator) – Freelance journalist, broadcaster, and commentator who writes regularly on antisemitism, Israel, and women’s rights for outlets including The Telegraph, Daily Mail, Independent, The Sun and the Jewish Chronicle. A former showbusiness editor of the Daily Mail, she uses her media expertise to clarify complex social issues. She was recently awarded the Pete Newbon Award for her outstanding contribution to public understanding of antisemitism by the London Centre for the Study of Contemporary Antisemitism.

Niaz Maleknia is an Iranian documentary and lifestyle photographer based in London, known for exploring taboo subjects, including an internationally exhibited project on love dolls. She holds an MA from LCC, teaches on its BA Documentary course, and her Hold Still portrait—selected by the Duchess of Cambridge—is part of the National Portrait Gallery collection. Niaz also runs photography workshops for children and adults across London, drawing on her teaching background to build creative confidence and observational skills.

Nika Hazini is an experienced Financial Services lawyer with over 20 years experience advising on a variety of transactional and regulatory projects in the field and has worked in the world’s most prestigious law firms and banks across the globe. She is also a thinker and a champion of Middle East peace and a bright future for that whole region. Nika has worked for over a decade on the Persian Jewish DNA project and presents regularly at various conferences on the topic.

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