CENSORSHIP IN IRAN

How censored is the internet in Iran today? 
At the beginning of March 2012, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s Supreme Leader told Iranian authorities to set up a body (The Supreme Council of Virtual Space) to oversee the Internet. Many bloggers, online activists, and technical staff have faced jail terms, harassment and abuse. 

See a chart of internet authority in Iran here: INFOGRAPHIC 

For further information, please see:
Sydney Morning Herald – Iran’s Leader Sets Up Internet Control Group – 8 Mar 2012
BBC – Iran’s Supreme Leader Sets Up Body To Oversee Internet – 7 Mar 2012
Haartetz – Ahmadinejad Heads New Council To ‘ Safeguard’ Iranian Internet Values – 7 Mar 2012
Iran Focus – Iran Considers Cyberspace Council – 7 Mar 2012

Citations: 
image sources -  
top: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-17288785 on 5/15/13.
bottom: http://www.culturefeast.com/why-are-people-anti-twitter/ on 5/15/13.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_censorship_in_Iran used 5/15/13.

Images from Persepolis

 These are a few panels from the graphic novel,
Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi, which is an
autobiography in the form of both a graphic novel and animated film about her personal life experiences which directly reveal her perspective on the discourse and practices within her home country, Iran.

This first image is a memory from her childhood about wearing the veil:

 This image to the left demonstrates different groups' feelings about wearing the veil, which is a form of gender oppression imposed by the government of the country.

 Both men and women in Iran are involved in certain dress code expectations:

 

The image above to the right shows girls in veils at school beating their chests in a ritual which signified respect for their country and its political beliefs.

+++~citation~+++

 Satrapi, Marjane. The Complete Persepolis. New York: Pantheon, 2003. Print.

power and identity in Iran :

-          Politics: Women make under 5% of elected officials in Iran. The world average is 17.4%. (3)

-          Education: Women make up 40-59% of all students in Iran.

-          95% of girls are enrolled in primary school as of 2005. (3), (pgs. 81, 83). 

-          Sports: Women make up under 10% of national athletic team members of Iran. (3) (pg. 51).

-          Birthrights: Abortion is illegal or severely restricted only to save a woman’s life (as of 2007). (3) (pg. 39). 

-          Household: Average number of people per household (as of 2006): 4-4.9 people. (3) (pg. 23).

-          Murder: Honor killings regularly occur (regarding murders of women by intimate partners) according to data compiled from 2000-2006. (3) (pg. 31).

-          Homosexuality: Homosexuality is criminalized in national law and people who violate it are subject to the death penalty (as of 2007). (3) (pg. 27).

-          Feminisms: In 2002, Parliament approved a bill granting women the right to seek a divorce in court – a right which women have not had since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. The Guardian Council is likely to block passage of the bill into law, but parliamentary approval sets an important precedent. (3) (pg. 105). 

-          Marriage: Average age of women at first marriage (as of 2003): 20.1-23 years old. (3) (pg. 25).

 ~interested about queer activism in Iran? Here are some links: 

 http://www.arshamparsi.net/index2.html

 https://twitter.com/IranLGBT

~~~~~~~~Citations:~~~~~~~~

3. Seager, Joni. The Penguin Atlas of Women in the World. 4th ed. New York: Penguin Group, 2009.

Print.

picture source:  https://www.google.com/search?q=queer+iran&bav=on.2,or.r_cp.r_qf.&bvm=bv.46340616,d.cGE&biw=1366&bih=633&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hl=en&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=UraNUc3MBaKYiQLgnIAY#um=1&hl=en&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=marriage+iranian+style&oq=marriage+irania&gs_l=img.1.0.0i24.18484.26000.0.29328.21.16.0.0.0.0.886.6750.4j1j1j3j0j4j3.16.0...0.0...1c.1.12.img.49gEt2LiLXc&bav=on.2,or.r_cp.r_qf.&bvm=bv.46340616,d.cGE&fp=47b4d852ad6ce17c&biw=1366&bih=633&imgrc=NVCkXXWmYl2H9M%3A%3BO9OyAGOka3SAAM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fpayvand.com%252Fnews%252F08%252Fmar%252Fteahouse-exhibition10.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Firanfacts.blogspot.com%252F2008%252F12%252Fwedding-iranian-style.html%3B700%3B508 at 8:14pm on 5/10/2013

Literacy in Iran

-          The literacy rate in Iran is about 79.4% as of 2003. (6)

-          11%-25% of adult women are illiterate in Iran (as of 2005). (3) (pg. 79).

Citations:

6. World Factbook, CIA. "Iran - Literacy - Historical Data Graphs per Year." Iran - Literacy - Historical Data Graphs per Year. CIA World Factbook, 1 Jan. 2011. Web. 01 May 2013. <http://www.indexmundi.com/g/g.aspx?v=39>.

7. photo source: https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1366&bih=600&q=iran+literacy&oq=iran+literacy&gs_l=img.3..0i24l4.962.3391.0.4048.13.9.0.4.4.1.197.891.6j3.9.0...0.0...1ac.1.12.img.JjmMrmDmx_8#imgrc=0OtocQK0uVcCeM%3A%3B9XIkfg7LGILGRM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252F1.bp.blogspot.com%252F_viX5JihG-fI%252FTIz9QJNqyYI%252FAAAAAAAACNc%252FdbXjQwl0MTQ%252Fs1600%252Fsep8_int_lit_day_iran.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fsharmond.blogspot.com%252F2010%252F09%252Finternational-literacy-day.html%3B450%3B450