PARIS: One of Iran’s most prominent actors on Wednesday posted an image of herself on social media without the headscarf mandatory for women in the Islamic republic.
Taraneh Alidoosti’s apparent act of defiance comes as weeks of protests have rocked the country since the death of Mahsa Amini. The 22-year-old Kurdish Iranian woman died in mid-September after being arrested by the morality police in Tehran for allegedly flouting the country’s strict dress rules for women.
Alidoosti, one of the best-known actors remaining in Iran and who has publicly backed the protest movement, posted the image of herself with her head uncovered on her official Instagram account.
She held a Kurdish-language slogan of the protest movement reading “Jin. Jiyan. Azadi.” (Woman. Life. Freedom.).
Alidoosti is a regular star in films by award-winning director Asghar Farhadi, including “The Salesman,” which took the Oscar for best foreign language film in 2017.
Days ago on Instagram, the actor vowed to remain in her homeland at “any price,” saying she planned to stop working and instead support the families of those killed or arrested in the protest crackdown.
“I am the one who stays here and I have no intention of leaving,” said the 38-year-old, denying having any foreign passport or residence.
“I will stay, I will halt working. I will stand by the families of prisoners and those killed. I will be their advocate,” she said.
“I will fight for my home. I will pay any price to stand up for my rights, and most importantly, I believe in what we are building together today,” she added.
Alidoosti has been a prominent presence on the Iranian cinema scene since her teens and also starred in the recent acclaimed movie by director Saeed Roustayi “Leila’s Brothers,” which was shown at this year’s Cannes festival.
She is known as a forthright defender of women’s rights and wider human rights in Iran.
Iranian cinema figures were under pressure even before the start of the protest movement sparked by Amini’s death.
Prize-winning directors Mohammad Rasoulof and Jafar Panahi remain in detention after they were arrested earlier this year.
When major protests rocked the country in November 2019, Alidoosti declared that Iranians were “millions of captives” rather than citizens.
Top Iran actor posts defiant picture without headscarf
https://arab.news/mbgmf
Top Iran actor posts defiant picture without headscarf
- Taraneh Alidoosti's apparent act of defiance comes as weeks of protests have rocked the country since the death of Mahsa Amini
- She held a Kurdish-language slogan of the protest movement reading "Jin. Jiyan. Azadi." (Woman. Life. Freedom.)
Palestinian coach gets hope, advice from mum in Gaza tent
- The manager, himself a former left-back, says he wants his players to convey the spirit of his mother and Gazans like her
DOHA: Coach Ehab Abu Jazar is guiding a national team that carries on its shoulders all the hopes and sorrows of Palestinian football, but it is his mother, forced by war to live in a Gaza tent, who is his main inspiration and motivation.
The war that broke out following Hamas’s unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, 2023 put an end to Palestinian league matches, and left athletes in exile fearing for their loved ones in Gaza.
But Abu Jazar’s mother refuses to let the conflict overshadow the sporting dreams of her son, to whom she feeds tactical advice from the rubble of the Palestinian territory by phone.
“She talks to me about nothing but the team. She wants the focus to remain solely on the tournament,” the 45-year-old manager told AFP.
“My mother asks me about the players, who will play as starters and who will be absent, about the tactics, the morale of the players and the circumstances surrounding them.”
The manager, himself a former left-back, says he wants his players to convey the spirit of his mother and Gazans like her.
“We always say that we are a small Palestinian family representing the larger family,” he said.
“Undoubtedly, it puts pressure on us, but it’s positive pressure.”
The Palestinian team are 96th in the FIFA rankings, and their hope of playing in their first World Cup vanished this summer.
But the squad, most of whom have never set foot in Gaza, is within reach of the Arab Cup quarter-finals, keeping their message of resilience alive.
Palestine play Syria in their final Arab Cup group match Sunday, where a draw would be enough to achieve an unprecedented feat for the team.
He said progress would show the world that the Palestinians, if given the right conditions, can “excel in all fields.”
- ‘Genes of resilience’ -
Abu Jazar finished his playing career in 2017 before managing the Palestinian U-23 team and eventually taking the top job last year.
After the war broke out, his family home was destroyed, displacing his mother in Gaza, like most of the territory’s population during the height of the conflict.
He now feels pressure to deliver for them after witnessing from exile the horrors of the war, which came to a halt in October thanks to a fragile US-backed ceasefire.
“At one point, it was a burden, especially at the beginning of the war,” he said.
“We couldn’t comprehend what was happening. But we possess the genes of resilience.
“If we surrender and give in to these matters, we as a people will vanish.”
In her maternal advisory role, Abu Jazar’s mum, who goes by the traditional nickname Umm Ehab, is only contactable when she has power and signal.
But she works around the clock to find a way to watch the team’s matches from Al-Mawasi camp.
“My mother and siblings... struggle greatly to watch our matches on television. They think about how to manage the generator and buy fuel to run it and connect it to the TV,” he said.
This determination is pushing him to give Gazans any respite from the reality of war.
“This is what keeps us standing, and gives us the motivation to bring joy to our people,” he said.
“All these circumstances push us to fight on the field until the last breath.”
