by B. R. GOWANI
Mahsa Amini/Zhina Amini
in 1979, Iran's secular US supported tyrant was forced to leave
the replacement was a Muslim tyrant -- who was equally cruel
Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi was out and into the US lap
Ruhollah Mostafavi Musavi Khomeini was in after a long exile
in a month and a quarter of his arrival, Khomeini issued hijab order:
"At Islamic ministries women should not appear naked.
Women can be present so long as they are with hijab.
They face no barrier to work as long as they observe Islamic hijab."
the same year in July, women everywhere had to wear hijab
another strict order was issued on August 9, 1983:
"Women who appear in public without religious hijab
will be sentenced to whipping up to 74 lashes."
religious rulers saw women/girls with uncovered hair as "naked"
blind rulers couldn't see how bloody naked they themselves were
naked rulers have always been around in almost every country
currently we're blessed with Trump, Netanyahu, Modi, Munir, etc.
Mahsa means "like the moon" or "moon-like"
Jina or Zhina in Kurdish language means "life"
Zhina belonged to persecuted minority Kurdish community
Jina Amini or Mahsa Amini wanted to become a doctor
with her brother she was visiting the capital Tehran
Iran’s “morality” police (gasht-e ershad) stopped her
the reason being her hair were not properly covered
she was pushed into a van and was beaten
her brother was assaulted too when he protested
they were told that Mahsa will attend "educational" class
education was about how a woman should dress
the education institute was the Vozara detention centre
in the van, Zhina was tortured and suffered head injury
Jina went into coma and was transferred to Kasra hospital
arrested on September 13, Mahsa died on September 6, 2022 at age 22
within three days, the young moon full of life lost its moonlight
couldn't withstand the religious sun's oppressive and scorching heat
Western hypocrisy
The young Kurdish Iranian girl’s murder by the Iranian police on September 16, 2022, for not wearing a hijab properly was a great tragedy. It showed how men in most societies still control women for one or another reason and would go to any extent if their decree faces defiance.
In the US, the National Partnership for Women and Families have listed 55 ways in which Donald Trump‘s presidency has harmed women and families in his first year of his second term.
Zhina/Mahsa Amini’s murder became a political thing for the Western leaders — as is usual. These countries have lot of rot in their own countries and have past full of land grabs, genocides, violence, and what not in the name of superiority, democracy, human rights, and so on. And the present is not any decent either but is full of overt/covert wars and exploitation.
Hillary and Bill Clinton, Joe Biden, Nancy Pelosi, Justin Trudeau, and so many others, were out to criticize Iran’s leaders for Mahsa’s murder. (See more names here.) Former queen of Iran Farah Pahlavi also joined the chorus.
(Biden who stood with “brave women of Iran” when Mahsa was killed, didn’t say anything about Zainab al-Khazali, who was killed in US bombing around the same time!)
Did any of the above leaders opened their mouths after US bombed a school in Iran? NO.
On February 28, 2026, Israel and Israel incited US under Trump attacked Iran for no reason at all. On the very first day, the US bombed a school killing 156 people, the revised figure. There were 120 students (70 boys and 43 girls), 26 teachers (all women), 7 parents of students (4 men and 3 women), a school bus driver, a pharmacy technician from a nearby clinic, and a six month old fetus.
Ditto with celebrities.
Of course, there are always exceptions, and there were. Even those who oppose, some are genuine and always oppose illegal and unjust wars, where as others criticize because it’s the opposition party in power and is waging the war.
Priyanka Chopra
Priyanka Chopra, a Bollywood and Hollywood actress and a former UNICEF
Goodwill Ambassador, is one such celebrity who knows when to open her mouth and when to keep it shut. After Zhina’s untimely death, Chopra came out in support of Iran’s women.
Chopra on her Instagram:
“Women in Iran and around the world are standing up and raising their voices, publicly cutting their hair and many other forms of protest for Mahsa Amini, whose young life was taken away so brutally by the Iranian Morality Police for wearing her hijab ‘improperly’. The voices that speak after ages of forced silence, will rightfully burst like a volcano! And they will not and MUST not be stemmed.
“I am in awe of your courage and your purpose. It is not easy to risk your life, literally, to challenge the patriarchal establishment and fight for your rights. But, you are courageous women doing this every day regardless of the cost to yourselves.
“To ensure that this movement will have a lasting effect, we must hear their call, understand the issues and then join in with our collective voices. We must also get everyone who can influence others to join as well. Numbers matter.
“Add your voice to this critical movement. Stay informed and be vocal, so these voices can no longer be forced to stay silent.“I stand with you. Jin, jiyan , azaadi… Women, life, freedom.”
One cannot not appreciate Priyanka Chopra’s concern for Iranian women. But how come she is nowhere to sympathize the girls and women (also children, elders, and men) bombed to death by the US and Israel. Nothing new. She had been silent in the past too.
In 2002, during the Gujarat state enabled pogrom under Chief Minister Narendra Modi (now India’s Prime Minister), a Muslim woman Bilkis Bano, a five-month pregnant mother of five, was gang-raped by eleven men after seven of her family members (including her husband and their three year old daughter), were brutally killed by a mob of more than 20 men. She survived to tell the story.
Did Priyanka ever come out to console Bilkis Bano or other Muslim, Christian, and Dalit victims, forget criticizing Modi and his goons? No.
Chopra and others have faced criticism:
Bollywood star Priyanka Chopra and other Indian media personalities who are showing support for women in Iran have been called “hypocrites” for “staying silent” on the treatment of minorities in India pic.twitter.com/VXlcRHtOjE— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) October 11, 2022
When Muslim women in India are denied their right to wear hijab, does Chopra take up their cause? No.
Poet and activist Nabiya Khan called Chopra a “false feminist”:
“@priyankachopra your activism of convenience is pukeworthy. This means nothing when you choose to look away from the plight of hijabi women in India who are denied education for wearing a piece of cloth over their head, harassed by hindutva goons and state. You are a Hypocrite!”
“@priyankachopra never spoke up when police barged into universities. You were silent when women of shaheen bagh were spending their nights out in chilly winters protesting for their dignity. You are a coward. You are no role model. You are a false feminist. You should shut up.”
Indian journalist/author Rana Ayyub asked Chopra:
“Indian celebrities speaking about Iran will look the other way through this fascism and apartheid in their home country. This is a lawmaker in the Indian government asking for economic boycott of Muslims. Will the likes of @priyankachopra speak up for Muslims in India?”
In May 2020, a black person George Floyd was murdered by a white policeman by asphyxiating while the live videos by people were viral all over. Chopra wrote on her Instagram:
“Please, I can’t breathe.” George Floyd
Wealthy clever people know where to utter and where to go silent.
Chopra so vocal about Mahsa has never said a word about tens of thousand of children killed by Israeli monsters. Even when Spanish actor Javier Bardem said: “Free Palestine. No war,” Chopra didn’t join him. Well even for maintaining silence, you need courage.
Bhawna Jaimini writes:
“I decided to go through Priyanka Chopra’s Instagram feed to find traces of solidarity to those protesting in India – in case I had missed something. During the period her home country burned, Chopra was busy gracing red carpets at Grammy and Golden Globe Awards – while celebrating the amassing of 50 million followers – and there were some quotes about shattering the glass ceiling. She even visited India during this period to play Holi with the Ambanis.”
Mukesh Ambani is India’s richest person and is good friend of Modi, a fellow Gujarati.
Chopra invited Modi at her wedding reception in Delhi.
Modi should have thanked Chopra for providing him with an opportunity to have his one more laughing photo out. Most Indians may be crying with their myriad of problems, their premier, at least, presents a laughing face to the world.
Instead it was Chopra who thanked Modi sycophantically:
“A heartfelt thank you to our honourable Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modiji for gracing us with your presence. Touched by your kind words and blessings.”
Chopra’s wedding was held at Umaid Bhawan Palace in Jodhpur, where they had a wedding reception. Third wedding reception was held in Mumbai. Delhi’s was the second one.
Three receptions for one wedding. A concerned UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador would have held one small reception and would have donated plenty of money to UNICEF projects.
Elnaaz Norouzi
Iranian born Elnaaz Norouzi, a model, began her film career with 2018 Pakistani film Maan Jao Naa. Same year she also did a Punjabi movie Khido Khundi in India and settled down in Mumbai’s Hindi/Urdu film industry.
She is for women’s rights and believes that fighting for their rights have been in Iranian women’s blood.
In the wake of Jina’s loss of life, Norouzi protested with a stripping show. Fully clothed with hijab, she takes her clothes off one by one she is left with a white pantie. She keeps her naked breasts covered with her hands.
Many actresses in Bollywood films and on social media are seen in bikinis — some in tiny ones — and their bras cover, in many instances, even less than 50% of the precious goods, so the video of stripping was not a big deal.
If Norouzi really wanted to protest, why didn’t she come out total natural without hiding anything?
She should have followed an example of Egyptian activist Aliaa Magda Elmahdy for democracy who protested against US supported military’s tyrannical rule by posting her naked photo on October 3, 2011.
Now that is called real bravery. She got death threats and was also kidnapped. After her release, she got asylum in Sweden.
Rana Ayyub once again:
“These [Bollywood] ‘celebrities’ have stayed silent through [Indian] state sanctioned violence against Muslims. Their activism is obscene.”
Now Norouzi is supporting Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi whom Pakistan’s Defense Minister called “imperial whore.” Which he is. He lives in the US, has very friendly relations with Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu, and is waiting for his chance to settle his former royal ass on the Peacock Throne.
Yes, Iran’s theocratic regime is brutal but Pahlavi is not the answer. That also bringing him to power through US and Israel bombing, killing of scientists, and destruction of infrastructure?
This is the problem with people like Norouzi — they hate Iran’s regime and for its removal, they don’t mind getting help from the world’s two most violent states, the US and Israel. Israel, a nuclear power, wants a weakened Iran with no nuclear weapons. The US wants oil which belongs to the Iranian people. In 1951, the Iranian government ousted Shah and nationalized the oil companies. The US overthrew the elected government of Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh and reinstalled Shah whose US supported atrocious rule brought Khomeini to power in 1979.
If Norouzi seriously wants a change, she should go for someone who is secular, progressive, and people oriented, rather than the same shitty Pahlavi.
Whatever the current Iranian regime’s fault, one has to admire their courage and their self-respect in not bowing to the US — unlike Pahlavi who lives a luxurious life in the US.
This “imperial whore” has no self-respect, how can he make Iran a respectable nation which could be self-sufficient enough to stand on its own and not rely on US alms and mercy.
B. R. Gowani can be reached at brgowani@hotmail.com