What Iranians Want
'A document of real optimism.' Guardian
An indispensable account of the Women, Life, Freedom uprising as it unfolded in real time
On Tuesday 13 September 2022, all Mahsa Amini has planned is a day shopping in Tehran. Her birthday is next week. But she is arrested as she comes out of the subway – the Guidance Patrol deem her hijab inadequate. On Friday she is pronounced dead. By Sunday, women have taken to the streets across Iran, setting their headscarves on fire and cursing the Supreme Leader. Months later, workers down their tools and businesses close. The battle cry everywhere: Women, Life, Freedom.
Arash Azizi guides us through the new history being written on the streets of Iran. From an International Women’s Day celebrated inside Iran’s most notorious prison to mass strikes in Kurdistan, ordinary Iranians remain prepared to fight for a better future. The 2022–3 uprising may have been crushed in blood. But millions of women in Iran today walk with their heads uncovered. Their revolution – Women, Life, Freedom – was, is and will be.
Arash Azizi is a historian and the author of The Shadow Commander: Soleimani, the US, and Iran’s Global Ambitions. He is a contributing writer for The Atlantic. He has written for numerous publications, including the New York Times, Washington Post, Newsweek, New Lines Magazine, Toronto Star and Jacobin, and several of his book-length translations have appeared in Iran and elsewhere. He lives in New York City. @arash_tehran