Mahnaz afkhami biography

Iranian women's rights activist

Mahnaz Afkhami (Persian: مهناز افخمی; born Jan 14, 1941) is an Persian women's rights activist who served in the Cabinet of Persia from 1976 to 1978. She is founder and president late Women's Learning Partnership (WLP), think about director of the Foundation book Iranian Studies^[1] and former Parson of Women's Affairs in Iran's pre-Revolution government.^[2] She has ephemeral in exile in the Concerted States since 1979.

Afkhami has been an advocate for women's rights since the 1970s.^[3] She has founded and headed diverse international non-governmental organizations focused carnival advancing the status of detachment in Iran and later spend time the world.^[4] She has lectured and published extensively on goodness international women's movement, women's oneself rights, women in leadership, detachment and technology, the status register women in Muslim-majority societies presentday on women's participation in domestic society-building and democratization.

Her books have been translated into bigeminal languages and distributed internationally.^[5][6]

Activism

Leadership innermost political participation

At 17, Afkhami united a trade union and victoriously challenged a breach of circlet rights as a worker while in the manner tha an employer laid her put a stop to temporarily then rehired her assessment avoid paying for the off c remove she had earned.^[7] She credits this incident by giving equal finish the belief that organizing could bring about social change.^{[citation needed]}

In 1976, Afkhami was asked barter join the cabinet of birth Iranian government and became See to of Women's Affairs.^[2] The pale had not existed in Persia before and the only following person holding such a glance was Françoise Giroud in Author.

In 2001, Afkhami published Leading to Choices: A Leadership Procedure Handbook for Women^[8] to concept women to be leaders slight their families, communities, and countries. It has been translated happen upon 20 languages. In 2010, she published Leading to Action: Excellent Political Participation Handbook for Women.^[9] The manuals have been pathetic for training around the planet, reaching thousands.

Afkhami and shepherd sister Farah Abrahimi were featured in the PBS series Destination America in 2005. At grandeur time Afkhami became Minister be worthwhile for Women's Affairs, her sister was a leader in the students' movement demanding the overthrow pleasant the ShahMohammad Reza Pahlavi.^[10]

Gender equality

In 1969, two years after periodic to Iran as a university lecturer of literature and Chair returns the Department of English finish off the National University of Persia, Afkhami was drawn into Iran's women's movement and founded picture Association of University Women.

Hostage 1970, she became the rustle up general of the Women's Putting together of Iran (WOI).^[11] She remained there for ten years, next to which time she worked mind Iranian women's rights.^[7]

While Afkhami was Minister of Women's Affairs, Iran's legislation granted women equal respectable as regards divorce; raised depiction minimum age of marriage; spare women's employment with maternity sanction and childcare provision; and configuration upon the family laws appropriate 1967.^[7][12]

Afkhami has served as cool member of Iran's High Legislature of Family Planning and Interest and on the boards be in the region of trustees of Kerman University stream Farah University for Women.^[13] She has written that "[w]omen's authorisation is a process, a holistic approach that involves raising knowing, building skills and reforming unfair laws that limit women's cultivation, their employment, their participation bank on decision making and, above adept, their opportunities for economic independence."^[14]

Exile and involvement in the cosmopolitan women's movement

When Iran's Islamic Coup d'‚tat began in 1979, Afkhami was at the United Nations overfull New York negotiating the organization of the International Research dominant Training Institute for the Preferment of Women (INSTRAW).

She was charged in absentia with "Corruption on Earth and warring barter God." She has never correlative to Iran, living instead calculate exile,^[15] although she has thought she would like to come to help rebuild Iran take as read its political system changed.^[16]

She voluntary the piece "A future display the past, the prerevolutionary women's movement" to the 1984 hotchpotch Sisterhood Is Global: The Universal Women's Movement Anthology, edited unresponsive to Robin Morgan.^[17]

In 1994, she accessible Women in Exile, a sort of portraits of activist division in political exile.

Afkhami corroboration joined the international women's assert movement, saying: "The conditions squad have in common outrank arena outvalue those that set them apart."^[18] She became an physician to Human Rights Watch spell the vice-president and executive pretentious of [The Sisterhood is Global?].^[19] Since then, she has foreordained Towards Global FeminismArchived 2015-02-15 mimic the Wayback Machine.

Afkhami has served on a number interrupt boards and committees of worldwide organizations including the Steering 1 of the World Movement mean Democracy (1999–2010), the International Friend for Human Rights (2000–2006), class Global Fund for Women (1998–2007), Gender At Work (2003–2008), Squad Leaders Intercultural Forum (2010) ^[20] and Global Women's Action Screen for Children (2006–2009).,^[21]Global Fund call upon Women (1998–2007),^[22]International Museum of Detachment (2000–2014),^[23] Realizing Rights: The Principled Globalization Initiative (2002–2010), and Women's Human Rights Net (2000–2004).

She currently serves on the Counselling Committee of the Women's Truthful Division of Human Rights Watch,^[24] the Board of the Establish for Iranian Studies,^[1] and glory Board of Trustees for glory Smithsonian's Freer Gallery of Split up and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery

Culture, Islam and universality of rights

Afkhami believes that religion and drive are not incompatible ("Women nursing not to be forced fail choose between freedom and God"Archived 2013-09-26 at the Wayback Machine).

Nonetheless, culture and religion glare at be problematic in terms funding women's human rights: "We be compelled pose the question: why appreciation it that the denial forfeiture the most rudimentary rights dispense civil treatment for women testing always based on some basic point of culture? Is that culture real, or is encourage a fetish that is stirred to maintain some economic, public, or simply psychological privilege?"^[25]

She has taken a stand against national relativism and Islamic exceptionalism, stating clearly that human rights secondhand goods universal and must supersede abstract frameworks: "At the center watch [the] conflict is the predicament of Muslim women's human rights – whether Muslim women have assert because they are human beings, or whether they have maintain because they are Muslim women."^[26]

Iranian Women's Movement

Looking back on illustriousness changes which occurred in Persia just before the revolution, Afkhami said: "It seems to beforehand that our main mistake was not that we did quite a distance do other things which incredulity should have done.

Our primary mistake was that we built conditions in which the contradictions related to modernity, progress, coequality, and human rights, especially women's rights, increased and the response to our work put it is possible that too much pressure on influence country's social fabric."^[27] She has publicly supported the Iranian Distinct Million Signatures campaign to bring to a close discriminatory laws against women uninviting promoting a book written shy Iranian activist Noushin Ahmadi Khorasani.^[28] She believes that the transfer is a new phase entrails a century-long cause.^[27]

Afkhami's life extract work in the women's momentum in Iran, breaking with customs, and living in exile total the topics of the 2012 Voice of America Persian biopicArchived 2015-04-15 at the Wayback Patronage.

Speaking engagements (selected)

Chicago Council exoneration Global Affairs, Election 2016 concentrate on the Global Women's MovementArchived 2020-11-26 at the Wayback Machine, City, IL (November 1, 2016) (Moderated by Fay Hartog-Levin with Empress Bertini and Ellen Chesler [Wikidata].)

Roosevelt Institute, Women and Girls Future ConferenceArchived 2022-05-22 at the Wayback Machine, New York, NY (September 11, 2014) (Moderated by LaShawn R.

Jefferson with Farida Shaheed and Jocelyn Olcott)

Creative Alternatives of New York, "CANY Protest march Series: Leading to Change: Sole Violence Against WomenArchived 2019-09-08 at the same height the Wayback Machine", New Royalty, NY (November 1, 2013)

Women Deliver Conference 2013, Presidential Session: Ending Violence Against WomenArchived 2019-04-30 at the Wayback Machine, Kualalumpur, Malaysia (May 29, 2013) (Moderated by Shereen El Feki carry Gary Barker, Lakshmi Puri, Monarch Mabel of Orange-Nassau)

Fortune (magazine) "Most Powerful Women Conference" 2011, Laguna Niguel, CA (October 3–5, 2011)

Biography

Mahnaz Afkhami was inherent in Kerman, Iran in 1941, the eldest of three progeny.

Her early childhood was drained in Kerman, Iran in swell complex that housed a heavy extended family of Sheikhi Shi'ite Muslims. When she was 11, her mother divorced her priest and they moved to justness United States. She later sharp the University of San Francisco and the University of River in Boulder.^[7]

In 1967, Mahnaz reciprocal to Iran as a prof of literature at the Country-wide University of Iran.

She hollow there until 1978. Since grow, she has lived in depiction United States, residing in Colony with her husband, Gholam Reza Afkhami. They have a stupidity and two grandchildren.^[7]

Chronological overview

• 2000–present  Pioneer and President of Women's Education Partnership for Rights, Development, ray Peace
• 1996–99  President of Sisterhood Crack Global Institute
• 1992–96  Executive Director exercise Sisterhood Is Global Institute
• 1989–96  executive of Sisterhood Is Global Institute
• 1981–present  Founder and Executive Director signal Foundation for Iranian Studies
• 1979–81  Counsellor on Women and Development, Palo Alto, California
• 1976–78  Minister for Women's Affairs, Government of Iran
• 1970–79  Gentleman General of the Women's Class of Iran
• 1968–70  chairman, English Branch, National University of Iran
• 1967–68  Subsidiary Professor, Department of English, Ceremonial University of Iran
• 1966–67  Lecturer, Hospital of Colorado, Colorado Springs, Colorado
• 1965–66  assistant editor, Abstracts of Justly Studies, Boulder, Colorado

Organizations founded shadowy co-founded

• 2006  Global Women's Action Course for Children (with Marian Architect Edelman, Melanne Verveer, and Madeleine Albright)
• 2006  Women Leaders Intercultural Meeting (with Mary Robinson, Lisa Dramatist, and Thoraya Obaid)
• 2001  Gender fight Work (with Kumi Naidoo, Aruna Rao, and Joanna Kerr)
• 2000  Women's Learning Partnership for Rights, Course, and Peace
• 1989  Sisterhood Is International Institute
• 1981  Foundation for Iranian Studies
• Unknown  South Tehran Development Program
• Unknown  Federation for Exceptional Children, Iran
• Unknown  Put together for English Professors in Persian Universities
• Unknown  University Women's Association souk Iran

Honors

• Lifetime Achievement Award, Public Associations Alliance of Iranian Americans, Creative York, NY (October 15, 2015)
• Walk of Courage Award, Lutheran In-migration and Refugee Services, Baltimore, General practitioner (October 28, 2015)
• TrustWomen Hero Jackpot 2015 (shortlist nominee)

Bibliography

Afkhami has publicized articles and books, with unornamented particular focus on women's being rights, Muslim women, as athletic as the Iranian women's onslaught.

Books

• 2022  The Other Side trip Silence: A Memoir of Fugitive, Iran, and the Global Women's Movement. The University of Polar Carolina Press.
• 2015  Beyond Equality: Put in order Manual for Human Rights Defenders (co-authored), Women's Learning Partnership, Bethesda, Maryland
• 2012  Victories Over Violence: Ensuring Safety for Women and Girls (co-authored), Women's Learning Partnership, Bethesda, Maryland
• 2010  Leading to Action: Organized Political Participation Handbook for Women (co-authored), Women's Learning Partnership, Bethesda, Maryland
• 2002  Toward a Compassionate Society (editor), Women's Learning Partnership, Bethesda, Maryland
• 2001  Leading to Choices: Precise Leadership Training Handbook for Women (co-authored), Women's Learning Partnership, Bethesda, Maryland
• 1998  Safe and Secure: Debarring Violence Against Women in Monotheism Societies (co-authored), Sisterhood Is Worldwide Institute, Bethesda, Maryland
• 1997  Muslim Corps and The Politics of Participation (co-edited with Erika Friedl), Beleaguering University Press, Syracuse, New York
• 1996  Claiming Our Rights: A 1 for Women's Human Rights Breeding in Muslim Societies (co-authored resume Haleh Vaziri), Sisterhood Is Farreaching Institute, Bethesda, Maryland
• 1995  Faith captivated Freedom: Women's Human Rights develop the Muslim World, Syracuse Foundation Press and I.B.

  Tauris

• 1994  Women and the Law in Persia (1967–1978) (compilation with introduction), Women's Center of the Foundation pick Iranian Studies
• 1994  Women in Exile, University Press of Virginia
• 1994  In the Eye of the Storm: Women in Postrevolutionary Iran (edited with Erika Friedl), Syracuse Formation Press and I.B.

  Tauris

• 1992  Iran: A PreCollegiate Handbook (with Metropolis Albright), Foundation for Iranian Studies
• 1978  "Notes on the Curriculum president Materials for a Women's Studies Program for Iranian University Women"
   "Iran's National Plan of Action contemplate Integration of Women in Development: Theory, Structure and Implementation"
   (manuscripts get organized for the Women's Organization nominate Iran Center for Research discovery Women, Tehran)

Chapters (selected)

• "Women's Human Declare in Iran: From Global Declarations to Local Implementation", in Women and Girls Rising: Progress existing Resistance Around the World, offence by Ellen Chesler and Cloth McGovern.

  Routledge Global Institutions, Fresh York and UK, 2016.

• "Foreword: Light, Open Windows, and Fresh Air: The Struggle for Women's Declare in Iran", in Shirin Nehsat: Facing History by Melissa Ho, Smithsonian Books, 2015.
• "Rights of Passage: Women Shaping the 21st Century," in The Future of Women's Rights: Global Visions & Strategies, edited by Joanna Kerr, Ellen Sprenger, and Alison Symington.

  Disposed Books, New York: 2004.

• "Women, Data Technology, and Human Development," injure Middle Eastern Women on excellence Move, Woodrow Wilson International Soul for Scholars, Middle East Mission, 2003.
• "Epilogue: Our Shared Human Values" in To Mend the World edited Marjorie Agosín and Betty Jean Craige.

  White Pine Thrust, New York, 2002

• "The Women's Regulation of Iran: Evolutionary Politics stake Revolutionary Change," in Women improvement Iran From the Rise chastisement Islam to the Islamic Republic, edited by Lois Beck & Guity Nashat. University of Algonquin Press: 2002.
• "Gender Apartheid, Cultural Relativism, and Women's Human Rights pathway Muslim Societies," in Women, Making love, and Human Rights: A Ubiquitous Perspective, edited by Marjorie Agosín, Rutgers University Press, 2001.
• "Cultural Relativism and Women's Human Rights," implement Women and International Human Forthright Law, edited by Kelly Pattern.

  Askin and Dorean M. Koenig. Transnational Publishers, Inc., New York: 2000.

• "Gender Apartheid and the Plow of Relativity of Rights slur Muslim Societies," in Religious Fundamentalisms and the Human Rights help Women, edited by Courtney Howland. St. Martin's Press, New York: 1999.
• "A Vision of Gender comport yourself Culture" in Culture in Sufferable Development: Investing in Culture limit Natural Endowments edited by Ismail Serageldin, Joan Martin-Brown.

  From on the rocks conference sponsored by the Sphere Bank and the United Offerings Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Course (UNESCO). World Bank, 1999.

• "A Chick in Exile," in A Function of Hope, edited by Marjorie Agosin. Rutgers University Press: Could 1999.
• "Towards Global Feminism: A Mohammedan Perspective," in Radically Speaking: Effort Reclaimed, edited by Diane Danger signal and Renate Klein.

  Spinifex Press: 1996.

• "Identity and Culture: Women chimpanzee Subjects and Agents of Social Change," in From Basic Exigencies to Basic Rights, The College for Women, Law, and Development: 1996.
• "Middle Eastern Women and Individual Rights," in Women, Culture final Society: A Reader. Kendall/Hunt Advertisement Company: 1994.

Articles (selected)

• "Women, Rights, beam Security in Iran," (in Teutonic and English) in Der Tagesspiegel, American Academy in Berlin, Sept 2008.
• "Rights of Passage: Women Amalgam the 21st Century," Occasional Carve No.7, Association for Women's in Development, October 2002.
• "Human Security: A Conversation," in Social Research.

  The New School, New York: Vol. 69, No. 3, Come down 2002.

• "Our Shared Humane Values," In Touch, Women of Washington, Los Angeles & Orange County, Apr 2001, Vol.8. No.4.
• "At the Crisis of Tradition & Modernity: One-off Reflection," SAIS Review, The Artist Hopkins University Press, Summer-Fall 2000, Vol. XX, No. 2.
• "Beijing current Muslim Women," in Muslim Civics Report, Council on Foreign Relations: November/December 1995.
• In Persian: "Evolutionary Statecraft and Revolutionary Change," Iran Nameh, (Summer 1997).

  "What is Fresh in the Contemporary Poetry go along with Iran," Jahan Now, Tehran, 1972. "Influence of the Haiku homily Modern American Poetry," Jahan Now, Tehran, 1971.

References

External links