As young women and men flood the streets of cities across Iran in the biggest popular protest movement since 2009, prominent Iranian Americans are speaking out in support of the demonstrators.
The death of Mahsa Amini while in the custody of Iran's morality police has sparked more than a month of protests that have galvanised Iranians and others around the world. The 22-year-old woman died after being detained for allegedly not wearing her hijab in accordance with the country's strict standards.
“Apparently her appearance wasn't right. So they took her to the prison to re-educate her … She was beaten and she landed in a coma and she died,” Narges Rashidi, an American-German actress who was born in Iran, told The National.
“That is just beyond saddening. I don't know what else to say. I'm speechless and I really, really hope that one day this will stop.”
Following Amini's death, protesters chanted “jin, jiyan, azadi”, which translates to “woman, life, freedom”. It has become a rallying cry for demonstrators worldwide.
The movement has inspired many prominent Iranian-American figures and celebrities to speak out against the government of their ancestral homeland, which is ruled by a religious authority overseen by the supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
For many, Amini's death triggered long-buried memories of personal run-ins with the morality police or stories of relatives who have suffered under the regime.
Shirin Behzadi, an Iranian-American businesswomen, recalled being only 15 in Iran when soldiers stopped her and a friend.
“These soldiers stopped us, which they did randomly all the time, separated us, asked us questions. Where we were going? Where we were? Then blindfolded us, put us in a jeep with a bunch of guys with machine guns so we had no idea where we were being taken,” Ms Behzadi told The National.
Ms Behzadi said she was strip searched and held for several hours before being released. The encounter was one of many she had with authorities.
The businesswoman, who fled the country when she was 17, said: “It's really time to speak up for those risking their lives in Iran.”
Yeganeh Rezaian, a senior researcher at the Committee to Protect Journalists, described what is happening as a “women-led revolution” that began as a protest against “40 years of gender apartheid”.
Iran no stranger to protests
During the Green Movement of 2009, hundreds of thousands of people rallied in Iran against what they said was the rigged election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. In 2019, demonstrators protested across the country, demanding the removal of leaders as petrol prices soared.
But experts say the current movement, now in its second month, feels different and has been embraced by a broader section of Iranian society.
The group Human Rights Activists in Iran reported that at least 233 people have been killed by security forces since the demonstrations began on September 16.
The UN estimates that 23 children have been killed and has called on Iran to “stop all violence against children”.
The movement has triggered a wave of social media hashtags and support.
Actress Sarah Shahi took to Instagram using the hashtag #MahsaAmini to urge world leaders to do something.
“Anyone know how to get a meeting with world leaders?” she asked. “Maybe we can arm wrestle them for change.”
Shahi, who was born in the US to Iranian parents, expressed her love and appreciation for Iranian culture and history, but said she had heard “stories of the tyranny in Iran” since she was young.
The actress, who stars in the recently released superhero film Black Adam, said she felt compelled to speak out for her female relatives.
“I’m going to be the voice of my mother, my mother’s mother and so on,” she wrote in the post.
“I don’t know how much impact it’ll have, I’m not really sure where to start, I’m not exactly sure how to inspire change in this situation. But I’d be disrespecting everything my mother stood for if I didn’t. I stand as one, but I come as many.”
Yara Shahidi, who starred in the popular TV series Black-ish and is currently in the offshoot Grown-ish, has repeatedly referenced the protests through her Instagram account, where she has more than seven million followers.
The actress, whose father is Iranian, recently called attention to the fire in Evin prison, where Iranian authorities say eight people died after an altercation at a sewing workshop. She has also shared video explainers on the movement.
Navid Negahban, who appeared in the popular series Homeland and played the sultan in the 2019 live action version of Aladdin, has posted dozens of times since the start of the movement.
Negahban, who was born in Iran, has posted in both Farsi and English on social media about the protests.
“Women’s rights are human rights,” he posted on October 6. “From Germany to Canada, from Sweden to Chile: we stand with the brave women and men of Iran.”
Maz Jobrani, an Iranian-American comedian, recently posted a video on Instagram imploring people to care about what is happening in Iran.
“The country has been mismanaged and these people are in the streets right now fighting for their freedom, for their rights but mostly for democracy,” he said. “They need our support.”
Prominent Iranian Americans often speak out against the regime but these demonstrations seem to have inspired an unusual level of support.
“This time around, it has been on an even bigger scale, because the movement has been longer and the longer it takes, the more people have come out to declare solidarity,” said Arash Azizi, a historian at New York University, who published a book on the former head of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Maj Gen Qassem Suleimani.
At this point in the movement, these prominent figures are helping to keep a conversation going on what is transpiring in Iran and that, Mr Azizi said, is desperately needed.
“It's important because it raises awareness,” he said.
With additional reporting by Chris Newbould
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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Rating: 4/5
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Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE results
Lost to Oman by eight runs
Beat Namibia by three wickets
Lost to Oman by 12 runs
Beat Namibia by 43 runs
UAE fixtures
Free admission. All fixtures broadcast live on icc.tv
Tuesday March 15, v PNG at Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Friday March 18, v Nepal at Dubai International Stadium
Saturday March 19, v PNG at Dubai International Stadium
Monday March 21, v Nepal at Dubai International Stadium
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Abandon
Sangeeta Bandyopadhyay
Translated by Arunava Sinha
Tilted Axis Press
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
Ain Dubai in numbers
126: The length in metres of the legs supporting the structure
1 football pitch: The length of each permanent spoke is longer than a professional soccer pitch
16 A380 Airbuses: The equivalent weight of the wheel rim.
9,000 tonnes: The amount of steel used to construct the project.
5 tonnes: The weight of each permanent spoke that is holding the wheel rim in place
192: The amount of cable wires used to create the wheel. They measure a distance of 2,4000km in total, the equivalent of the distance between Dubai and Cairo.
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
Indoor Cricket World Cup Dubai 2017
Venue Insportz, Dubai; Admission Free
Day 1 fixtures (Saturday)
Men 1.45pm, Malaysia v Australia (Court 1); Singapore v India (Court 2); UAE v New Zealand (Court 3); South Africa v Sri Lanka (Court 4)
Women Noon, New Zealand v South Africa (Court 3); England v UAE (Court 4); 5.15pm, Australia v UAE (Court 3); England v New Zealand (Court 4)
Company profile
Name: Dukkantek
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Founders: Sanad Yaghi, Ali Al Sayegh and Shadi Joulani
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Investors: Global Founders Capital, Colle Capital Partners, Wamda Capital, Plug and Play, Comma Capital, Nowais Capital, Annex Investments and AMK Investment Office
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The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
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It's up to you to go green
Nils El Accad, chief executive and owner of Organic Foods and Café, says going green is about “lifestyle and attitude” rather than a “money change”; people need to plan ahead to fill water bottles in advance and take their own bags to the supermarket, he says.
“People always want someone else to do the work; it doesn’t work like that,” he adds. “The first step: you have to consciously make that decision and change.”
When he gets a takeaway, says Mr El Accad, he takes his own glass jars instead of accepting disposable aluminium containers, paper napkins and plastic tubs, cutlery and bags from restaurants.
He also plants his own crops and herbs at home and at the Sheikh Zayed store, from basil and rosemary to beans, squashes and papayas. “If you’re going to water anything, better it be tomatoes and cucumbers, something edible, than grass,” he says.
“All this throwaway plastic - cups, bottles, forks - has to go first,” says Mr El Accad, who has banned all disposable straws, whether plastic or even paper, from the café chain.
One of the latest changes he has implemented at his stores is to offer refills of liquid laundry detergent, to save plastic. The two brands Organic Foods stocks, Organic Larder and Sonnett, are both “triple-certified - you could eat the product”.
The Organic Larder detergent will soon be delivered in 200-litre metal oil drums before being decanted into 20-litre containers in-store.
Customers can refill their bottles at least 30 times before they start to degrade, he says. Organic Larder costs Dh35.75 for one litre and Dh62 for 2.75 litres and refills will cost 15 to 20 per cent less, Mr El Accad says.
But while there are savings to be had, going green tends to come with upfront costs and extra work and planning. Are we ready to refill bottles rather than throw them away? “You have to change,” says Mr El Accad. “I can only make it available.”
TEST SQUADS
Bangladesh: Mushfiqur Rahim (captain), Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar, Imrul Kayes, Liton Das, Shakib Al Hasan, Mominul Haque, Nasir Hossain, Sabbir Rahman, Mehedi Hasan, Shafiul Islam, Taijul Islam, Mustafizur Rahman and Taskin Ahmed.
Australia: Steve Smith (captain), David Warner, Ashton Agar, Hilton Cartwright, Pat Cummins, Peter Handscomb, Matthew Wade, Josh Hazlewood, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Glenn Maxwell, Matt Renshaw, Mitchell Swepson and Jackson Bird.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Where to donate in the UAE
The Emirates Charity Portal
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Al Noor Special Needs Centre
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Emirates Airline Foundation
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
Emirates Red Crescent
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Noor Dubai Foundation
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
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Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup – Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
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