There are two vastly different kinds of hijabs: the democratic hijab, the head covering that a woman chooses to wear, and the tyrannical hijab, the one that a woman is forced to wear. In the first kind, a woman has…
Blog Archives
From Victim to Citizen
I’ve been wondering how tyrannies turn their citizens against each other, and more specifically, by what mechanism some in my own community of expatriate Iranians have become mistrustful and suspicious of each other. All of these ideas occurred to me…
Persian Rice: 1 of Tablet Magazine’s 100 Most Jewish Foods
Tablet – “For all the love lavished upon lumpy Ashkenazi darlings such as the bagel, kugel, or matzo ball, it is indeed Persian rice that, if it came down to it (for it always does), could serve as the Jewish…
Download Roya’s Favorite Essays (PDF)
The “Portable Roya” contains some of Roya’s most memorable works, including pieces in The New York Times, POLITICO, and the World Affairs Journal. The Portable Rota (PDF)
Why the US Should Support Iran Protesters
Reuters – In recent weeks, Iran has again been in the throes of an uprising. Signs of the regime change America had long hoped to see are on the horizon. In the unlikeliest cities — once the strongholds of the conservatives…
Women Are Winners in This Rivalry
The New York Times International Weekly – The escalating rivalry between Iran and Saudi Arabia has alarmed foreign policy experts who believe that it could further destabilize the region. But feminists have reason to rejoice. In the competition between the two regimes…
Women are right to boycott Iran’s chess tournament
POLITICO – Not since 1979, when leading American feminist Kate Millett joined thousands of women in protest of Iran’s revolutionary officials’ plan to reinstitute mandatory veiling, have Iranian women had a global advocate. That changed this September, when Georgian-American chess…
Commentary: An Iranian refugee on becoming American – legally, then in spirit
Reuters – It’s lucky that my mother and I were admitted as refugees to America before the topic of immigration became so contentious. If the current laws were to change to add skills or financial requirements, we could have never…
A Cappuccino With the C.I.A.
New York Times – NEW HAVEN, Conn. — The invitation came in an email, written in the ingratiating tone of the Nigerian prince looking to wire his millions into my checking account, and delivered the same jolt of giddy disbelief:…
The Ayatollah’s Disarming Wit
New York Times – NEW HAVEN, Conn. — Every tourist who visits Iran has three common observations: The women are stunning, the traffic is maddening, and, after oil, humor is the major industry. On the streets and in taxicabs, political…
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