There Are No Girls on the Internet - Women are fighting for change in Iran after the death of Mahsa Amini

Episode Date: September 30, 2022

22 year old Mahsa Amini died in custody after being stopped by the morality police in Iran. And now, women are leading the uprising. Negar Mortazavi, host of the Iran Podcast, explains why women and their allies are taking to the streets in Iran. LISTEN TO THE IRAN PODCAST: https://anchor.fm/theiranpodcast FOLLOW NEGAR: https://twitter.com/NegarMortazaviSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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You know, show that we're in this connected world. We really are connected. Don't let them feel like they're being subjected to this brutal violence on their own in one corner and that nobody else cares. There are No Girls on the Internet as a production of IHeart Radio and UnBossed Creative. I'm Bridget Todd, and this is There Are No Girls on the Internet. On September 16th, Masa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish woman, was killed in custody while visiting Tehran. She was stopped by what's known as the Morality Police, or a roving, group of people in Iran who police help people, mostly women, present themselves, policing

everything from how headscarves are worn, their clothing, or even their makeup. Masa's death in custody sparked anger, protests, and the largest uprising in Iran since 2009, and it's being led by women. My name is Negar Mortazavi. I am an Iranian-American journalist and political commentator and host of the Iran podcast, and I'm based in Washington, D.C. Nagar has had an incredibly storied and accomplished career. She studied international development and worked at the UN. But in 2009, after incumbent president Ahmadinejad declared victory in the 2009 presidential election,

protests broke out in support of the opposition candidates, Musavi and Karobi, sparking what's often called the Green Movement. The wave of protests was the largest since the Iranian revolution in the late 70s, and it changed the entire course of Nagar's career and her life. So, yeah, it was one of those moments. Sometimes I hear about civil rights activists saying that the civil rights movement sort of changed the course of their lives. It was one of those things that changed their careers, family, everything, personal and professional.

And I think the Green Movement was also a moment that just like, the 1979 revolution before I was born, the 2009 Green Movement was also a turning point that changed the course of professional and personal lives of a lot of Iranians. A lot of journalists had to escape the country. There was a mass exodus of journalists and political activists after the government cracked down of protesters and also some of us who worked abroad in the diaspora were forced into exile. So on a professional level, also a change my life. I haven't been able to return, travel back to my homeland since 2009. I've been living in exile. And professionally, it also sort of pulled me into this media world. So you've lived in Iran and you've had to deal

with the morality police or the guidance police personally. What was that like for you? Well, as a journalist and analyst, you know, you tend to look at things from a bird's eye view or try to report staying outside of the scene. But in this case, it's just inevitable because I was also an average citizen, a young woman living in Iran until I was about 20 years ago, now you have my age, when I moved to the U.S. So I, yes, I dealt with the morality police. I was never arrested by the morality police. I was one of the lucky ones, but it doesn't matter if you're arrested or not.

You live with this constant fear. So the morality police, actually, the literal term for it is Gashda Ershad, which is the guidance patrol. they're supposed to patrol. You don't know where they are exactly. They patrol at any moment you can encounter them in the public spaces. So there's this constant fear. Sometimes even women walking down the street telling each other, be like, oh, don't go to that crossroad. There's a, there's a gashed or this patrol standing there, harassing women. Essentially, it's a form of public harassment over the years. And so it's, yeah, it's humiliating for someone to be telling you how to dress and in a very subjective way because it's not like a very clear code over the years

in different areas of the country, different local cultures, women dress very differently. So it's become very subjective based on what the specific agent at the moment deems, very humiliating, very intrusive and also just a fear that women constantly have. And it's not only on the way they dress. It's just this weight of the life that's being imposed, but the most visible aspect of it is the mandatory hijab. Yes, I've heard that it can be clothing, makeup, these incredibly subjective things. And when I think about what's triggered, the protests happening in Iran right now, the young woman, Masha Amini, her death, or some might say her murder, you know, really tapping into a kind of end. anger that I think we're really seeing explode now. Can you tell us a bit about what's been triggering

these protests? So the initial spark for the protest was the death in custody, regardless of what the exact circumstance of the moment of God, because the state is disputing the family's narrative, the family is saying she was a healthy 22-year-old with no underlying conditions, and that she was subjected to violence under arrest. The state is saying, no, she had this heart attack, and we didn't commit any violence, regardless of the exact details. And I'm not a medical expert, but she died in custody. The death came in police custody, with their responsibility, her well-being, her lives. And for what? Now you have even some religious around here, some hijabi women saying what exactly was wrong with the way she was dressed? Because we've seen video of her in the detention

center. So now the whole country knows, the whole world knows exactly how she was dressed when she attained and this long mantua as we call it or just cover up she's this long scarf you look like your average small town girl and a lot of women are seeing themselves on her they're saying it's going to have been me this is how i dressed yesterday so how i'm going to dress tomorrow a lot of men are seeing their own sisters on her i heard from this one protesters in another small town saying my own sisters were visiting tehran on that same day and this is how they dress so would they would they also be killed for the way they're dressing? So it's how she was dressed.

It's this whole episode of the death in custody. And essentially, the morality police now is a lethal, violent force that is imposing this subjective dress code on women that you even have some religious scholars speaking up against. There was a grand Ayatollah. There was a couple of religious scholars saying, this is not even moral or Islamic. You're not supposed to use violence to impose a faith,

value or virtue on people who don't believe in it. And some of these women are not even Muslims. There's a Christian community in Iran. There's a Jewish community. They're visitors. Some of them are non-believers. You know, it's forced on everyone. And now you have some scholars even challenging that from a religious viewpoint.

You were talking about people being visitors. And that's something about this situation that really sticks with me for some reason. You know, she was just visiting Tehran. She was a guest there. And this is what happened to her. And it makes me think that a lot of, the anger and emotion in the situation is because people can really see themselves and their loved ones in her story. Exactly. That's what we're hearing from a lot of protesters in Tehran saying,

I am so sorry you were visiting my city and this is how you were treated. This is how you end up a dead body in a hospital. And I also, by visitors, I meant visitors from outside the country. So tourists who are not even Muslim, they're not even Iranian. And they're forced to observe this mandatory hijab. So some religious communities, and some religious scholars are challenging saying, what is the logic in that? I mean, nowhere in religion, this grant that I told her was saying, nowhere in the religion is specified

that Muslims should use this kind of violence and force to impose their own religious value on others. He called it irrational because he says this is backfiring, this is achieving the exact opposite. You're driving young people away from hijab, from religion. What you're trying to guide them to accept is turning into the opposite. And he also called it illegal.

He said nowhere in Iranian law is it specified despite the mandatory hijab, which is a discriminatory rule. But it's not specified that you're supposed to put this in the hands of the police to enforce it and treat these women. They're treating women essentially like criminals. They arrest them like criminals. They throw them in these police vans. So they're famous for having these vans that they fill up patrolling around the cities. They fill up and then they go to the station to drop them off for further, quote, unquote, guidance or training sessions. What are these training sessions?

Can you tell me about those? I've never attended one, thankfully. So you go in there. Sometimes you have to sign a paper, acknowledging your violation of the dress code and committing that you're not going to commit it again. This violation again, basically goes on your record like a criminal. The training teaches you how you're supposed to dress or behave according to the dress code. There are code-and-code experts there who will be talking to you

and further, quote, unquote, guiding you. All of this is just something that is very intrusive, very humiliating. And now you even have communities of religious hijabi women. I saw this campaign on Instagram. Hundreds of thousands of posts were added that said, I am hijabi and I oppose the morality police. So essentially women who observe it to themselves saying, don't do this in my name.

I've even heard stories of religious women being stopped by the morality police. So women who observe the hijab in the private of their home go outside with their own interpretation of how they're supposed to cover up. And the morality police is not acceptable by them. So a religious woman who even believes in that when the morality police is not around in the private of their home, then get stopped by them because subjectively it's not the way they want them to be. So the opposition is not just coming from the youth, is not just coming from the secular communities. It's also coming from religious communities. It's coming from multi-generational women and men or women in allies and even some scholars. There was a sitting member of parliament who went on national television challenging this.

What are we doing? What is this kind of violence? There were a few debates on national television that were unprecedented. People going out there really criticizing both the mandatory job and the morality police. And then there's also very radical slogans on the street that go beyond. just the mandatory police on hijab issues, targeting the entirety of the system, the political elites, the corruption, the repression,

and it's just layers of grievances that have been piling up, and this is on top of that. Let's take a quick break. Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite, unhumored me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. week, my guest, S&L's Mikey Day and headwriter, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their

between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Run a business and not thinking about podcasting, think again. More Americans listen to podcasts than ads supported streaming music from Spotify and Pandora. And as the number one podcaster, IHearts twice as large as the next two combined. So whatever your customers listen to, they'll hear your message. Plus, only IHeart can extend your message to audiences across broadcast radio. Think podcasting can help your business. Think IHart. Streaming, radio, and podcasting. Call 844-Ehart to get started. That's 844-844-I-Hart.

Hey, I'm Joe Dono. You might know me as that loud guy who yells out, help on the internet. Help! Somebody! Play! But there's so much more to me than me. I'm an actor. I'm a comedian, and recently I've become quite the helper myself. And on my new podcast, Hope I'm a Hippocrat, I'll be changing lives, helping people in need with my sage advice and thoughtful solutions. Sike, I'm a comedian.

I'm not qualified to give good advice. Join me and my comedian friends as we riff, rant, recommend some of the most legally dubious advice known to man. If I'm calling you, even if you're all, On your phone, let it ring twice. One ring is too scary. Oh, cream of chicken suit. Hey, cream a chicken suit.

This is Help from a Hypocrite, the worst advice from the dumbest people you know. Listen to Help from Hypocrite as part of the My Cultura Podcast Network available on the IHart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, I'm Deanna Maria Riva, actress, mother, lover, and a Gen X woman walking through life, one hot flash and hormonal crying jagged. You ladies know what I mean. I'll bet you a paramedipausal chin here you do. So let's talk about it. Join me on my new podcast. How hard can it be with the Adamia Riva,

where I call on my Gen X squads from Ohio to Hollywood as we navigate midlife's most fantastic BS. All of a sudden, I'd had hanginess happening on my own. I was like, what the hell is that? I was married when I had her, so I didn't even consider how empty that nest was going to be. Mood swings, night sweats, fupas, fupas, Sex drive. Wait, what sex? Dating at 45. How high can it be? Getting naked at 50 with a new guy. That one's kind of hard.

Well, that's lighting. They say we can't polish a turd, but we're sure going to try. So let's get blunt with laughs, tears or tears of laughter, and dive into it, unfiltered and unbothered and ask, how hard can it be? I cannot believe I'm about to say this out loud in public. Listen to How Hard Can It Be with Diana Maria Riva as part of my Cultura podcast network available on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get to. your podcasts and we're back. Obviously, this death in custody is what triggered these protests, but are we also seeing other kinds of frustrations, political frustrations, economic, social, sort of being layered in to why people are so angry? Definitely. So there is an economic

element to this. A lot of the Iranian economy is in very bad shape. Iranian youth don't see much prospect for themselves. There's a lot of corruption in the, in, in, the, in, the Iranian economy is in, in, a the political class, a lot of mismanagement of the resources, mismanagement of the whole COVID pandemic, add to that U.S. sanctions, economic and political isolation from the world that plays a very significant role in the economic situation. There's also political demands. The political space is very, it's closed. It's very repressive. Last year, the president was elected in a very controversial election. His competition and moderate competitors were disqualified. So, A lot of people see him as like a shoeing candidate whose path was clear to win in the election.

So it's also political. It's cultural, social. There's a lot of pressure on artists, on filmmakers. Even before Massa's death, filmmakers were arrested. They were pressured artists. Now we're seeing even athletes, some football players that are speaking up are getting pressured. So it's multi-layered for sure. And everyone is on the street with their own grievance, but also this collective sense of multiple layers that people have taken to the street before in previous protests.

In 2019, I was mostly sparked on an economic issue, a hiking fuel crisis. In 2009, the spark with a political issue, the contested presidential election. But when it's met with a crime with a violent crackdown without the actual demand being addressed. So people may go back home, but then next time they come out bringing all of those grievances and demands with them. What are some ways that the protests that we're seeing today, how are they different than some of the ones that we saw in 2019 and 2021? Well, in 2019, the spark was an economic issue. It was a sudden hike in fuel prices. So you saw a lot of working class Iranians whose life costs suddenly dramatically changed just because,

of this fuel price take to the streets and a lot of young men were centered in those protests, also from the number of deaths, people who were killed in the protests and the arrests, there was more leaning to that. The middle class also participated. It was in cities and towns, but the demographics was a little bit more leaning towards that issue. This time around, It's the spark is a women's rights issue. So you have a lot of women, young women, really leading these protests or taking the, being on the front line, the symbolic images of them burning their scarf essentially or cutting their hair, which is a sign of grief. It's also a sign of defiance and resistance. So the visibility of women is very strong.

You see a lot of middle class Iranians joining in the protest. it's still difficult because there's internet disruption, there isn't easy access to the media to cover these protests. So it's hard to gauge and do a fair comparison to something that's happened in the past. And we saw the images later. But this time around, I think, one of the most visible differences, or just one of the most visible aspect we see is that a lot of young women are at the forefront of this. and very understandably, it's a women's rights issue,

and it's the death of a young woman. As we know, protesting in Iran is dangerous. It's deadly. And, you know, these young women are taking into the streets, and by doing so, they're truly risking their lives by showing up. And the images and videos that we're seeing, you know, women shaving their heads, not just taking off their scarves, but burning them. I feel like they're such a clear, visual, visceral defiance

in the way they're showing up to the streets. It certainly is, yes. And as you said, it's incredible bravery and courage that we're seeing from this young generation risking their lives. Essentially, we've seen the number of deaths, doesn't have been killed. The number of arrests, there's a lot of women, human rights activists are saying there's a lot of women among the death. Those who are killed, there's a high percentage of women among the arrests. Among the journalists were arrested. A prominent female journalist, Nilufah Omidi,idi. who went to the hospital and covered the story was arrested alongside others. So, yes, it's incredible courage and bravery and also very raw anger. Women have been fighting this morality police and mandatory hijab for 40 years. They had been pushing back individually, and now there's this collective pushback that we're seeing in the form of this protest. More after a quick break.

Another podcast from some SNL, Night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and Friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, S&L's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel. Help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes.

Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Run a business and not thinking about podcasting, think again. More Americans listen to podcasts than ads supported streaming music from Spotify and Pandora. And as the number one podcaster, IHearts twice as large as the next two combined. So whatever your customers listen to, they'll hear your message. Plus, only IHeart can extend your message to audiences across broadcast radio.

Think podcasting can help your business. Think IHeart. Streaming, radio, and podcasting. Call 844-844-I-Hart to get started. That's 844-844-I-Hart. Hey, I'm Jared Adano. You might know me as that loud guy who yells out, help on the internet. Help! Somebody! Please!

But there's so much more to me than that. I'm an actor. I'm a comedian. And recently, I've become quite the helper myself. And on my new podcast, Hope from a Hypocrite, I'll be changing lives, helping people in need with my sage advice and thoughtful solutions. Sike, I'm a comedian. I'm not qualified to give good advice. Join me and my comedian friends as we riff rant and recommend some of the most legally dubious advice known to man.

If I'm calling you, even if you're on your phone, let it ring twice. One ring is too scary. Oh, cream of chicken suit. Hey, cream. Cream a chicken suit. This is Help from a Hypocrite, the worst advice from the dumbest people you know. Listen to Help from Hypocrite as part of the Mike Coutura podcast network available on the I-Hart Radio app, Apple Podcasts. or wherever you get your podcasts.

Hey, I'm Deanna Maria Riva, actress, mother, lover, and a Gen X woman walking through life one hot flash and hormonal crying jag at a time. You ladies know what I mean. I'll bet you a paramed apocal chin here you do. So let's talk about it. Join me on my new podcast. How hard can it be with Deanna Maria Riva,

where I call on my Gen X squads from Ohio to Hollywood as we navigate Midlife's most fantastic BS. All of a sudden, I'd had hanginess happening on my own. I was like, what the hell is that? I was married when I had her, so I didn't even consider how empty that nest was going to be. Mood swings, night sweats, fupas, sex drive. Wait, what sex? Dating at 45.

How high can it be getting naked at 50 with the new guy? That one's kind of hard. Well, that's lighting. They say we can't polish a turd, but we're sure going to try. So let's get blunt with laughs, tears or tears of laughter, and dive into it, unfiltered and unbothered and ask, how hard can it be? I cannot believe I'm about to say this out loud in public. Listen to How Hard Can It Be with Diana Maria Riva as part of My Cultura Podcast Network

available on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Let's get right back into it. When you think about the role that technology, the Internet, and other telecommunication services plays in protests, it's easy to see the ways that this is a clear tech issue. Earlier this year, the Iranian government announced a plan to use, facial recognition technology on public transportation and in other public places to identify women who don't comply with very strict laws around dress and wearing headscarves. And as the protests raged, outages of internet and cellular services created a barrier for

women to spread their message and connect with each other. Many took to social media platforms like TikTok and asked anyone with a platform to share their messages and amplify their voices. because they couldn't reliably do so without consistent internet. And this is not the first time that internet disruptions were used as a tactic to silence protest in Iran. Why is that better tactic that the state has used during times of protest? So the state wants to minimize coverage or evidence of violence committed by security forces, and they deny it. They say it's the protesters who are being violent, it's being fomented by our foreign enemies. And we have no problem with peaceful protests.

So according to the Iranian law, the Constitution, peaceful protests without arms should be allowed in the country. But that's not the case. There was even a conservative group, not among more of the conservative camp or the hardline camp, who requested permission for a protest against the mandatory police, and it was denied. So the internet disruptions,

and the limitations on media as far as coverage of the protests. One of them is to discourage or limit protesters from recruiting more protests or organizing more protests. The other is to limit protesters from communicating with each other. So when they're out in the protests, they won't be able to find each other. Another is to prevent them from disseminating the information to the larger community. So if you live in a city, you find that there's a protest. You can go join it. If you don't, then you can't.

And also prevents them from sending images, videos, photos, and essentially evidence out outside of the country, to the global media, to human rights organizations. All of these are ways that go hand in hand with the suppression and the crackdown. We saw it in 2019, a near shutdown, a total blackout of Internet access, social media access. And it took a while for us to, understand what exactly was going on and to see it visually.

Weeks later, when the citizen of eyewitnesses were able to send these images out. I report on social media a lot, and it was really TikTok where I saw so many women in Iran saying, you know, our internet services have been disrupted, so please help us share this message, boost this message, if you can repost this message. And I thought it was really interesting and quite savvy that that was the clear ask that these women had. They were bringing it to social media, asking people to boost that message and really help amplify it because they couldn't rely on having reliable internet access or media coverage. Exactly. So Iranian protesters have actually been, Iranian citizens, the young generation,

have been very savvy in using internet and social media because they have to rely on these alternative sources, because there isn't much free and independent media and access in the country. So a lot of times, even foreign outlets rely on these citizen journalists on everyday eyewitness videos with mobile phones to document and to report on these issues and cover them. And we saw it in 2009. Back then, Facebook was really big. And to some extent Twitter, but mostly Facebook in 2019. We also saw there's another messaging app that's very popular in there on Telegram. That was very big. And then this time around, I think TikTok also talks to the generation that's really protesting.

It's a lot of younger Iranians. And another thing I noticed is a lot of influencers on these social media who are not necessarily Iranian, but they're being contacted and asked or urged by the Iranian followers to speak up. And I saw some influencers who are not even political, like on cooking or lifestyle, that are speaking up and bringing light to this issue and showing solidarity. And it's all going back to the samuiness of the population. It's also a very young population.

Around 70% of the country is under the age of 40. And so it's just a very young and connected and savvy population despite all the limits that the government is putting on. Wow, that's really something to have such a young citizenry. I think it speaks to this idea of feeling like you have the right to control your future and the right to demand something better for how your life can be and how you'll be treated from your government. And even if the government erects all of these barriers, young women are still being savvy enough to go around those barriers to make their voices heard.

It is, it is. And it's not just women, it's men also, but it's so much more severe for women, the discrimination in family law, in occupation, even in universities, in child custody, in the glass ceiling that is above their head in life, in their career, in their personal life. and women have to just strive and put so much more effort and work compared to their male counterparts to be successful. So it's very frustrating and it's very understandable that there's just so many multiple layers of anger that we're seeing outpouring on the streets, not just by women, but also their men and allies. Yeah, I mean, something that you talked about earlier is this idea of treating women. like criminals just for being, I mean, not even, I was going to say just for being outside of their home, but not even that, right? And so I do think there's something about how difficult that

makes it to participate in public life as a woman or a girl. If you, if you, if you can be treated this way just for existing, just for showing up, it's an incredible barrier just for being able to, just to live a life. Indeed. Yes, it is. A lot of women are essentially saying in many cases we feel second-class citizens. The discrimination is just so suffocating. There's also a vibrant movement. Women have been pushing back, demanding their rights, and they've made a lot of successes, and it's not just in recent years. It's been a century, 100 years of their striving from the constitutional revolution through the 79 revolution, through the reform days, and until today, the women have been pushing. They've made some successes. But there's also this

pull and push, there's a pushback from not just the state, but also the foundations of patriarchy. This is not all necessarily rooted in religion. There's also that foundation of patriarchy. You sometimes even see it among secular Iranians and the traditions, and then combine it with this religious layer in the Islamic Republic, obviously, it takes a lot of its foundations and religion. So it's something that women have been pushing back. And globally, it's not just the women in Iran or in the Middle East,

but it's something that I'm just in awe of the bravery and the courage of these young women in Iran. I'm so glad that you're mentioning how all of this is global. I feel like we're seeing women-led protests and movements all over the world, in the Middle East, in the United States, in the global south. And I wonder, how can we make sure that we're really being in solidarity with each other and learning from each other and supporting each other in what we're. we know is this global movement led by fed up angry women. How can we keep these conversations rooted in global solidarity? Well, yes, it's very important to not lose sight of the fact

that this is a global and historical fight. It's happening in different shapes and forms across the world in each community. Different issues are in the spotlight. Of course, we don't want to minimize the kind of violence and the severity of some of these issues that are. Iranian women are dealing with or the fact that Masa Amini died because of the way she was addressed because of the violence of the morality police. But on different levels and different shapes and forms, women are dealing with this issue across the world. Here in the U.S., it's reproductive rights that's taking center studies these days. And across the global south, the global north, different issues for minorities, for the majority of women,

and this intersectionality of all of these issues that we're talking. So I think it's important, and Iranian women are also receiving a lot of messages of solidarity and sisterhood from some of their neighboring countries. I've seen Turkish women joining. I've seen messages from Arab women in solidarity, and also from not the region from the global collection of women, activists, artists, celebrities, actors, athletes. It's just been an outcoring of support and solidarity.

And I think that's something that gives a lot of hope and encouragement to them. Absolutely. For folks who are listening, what can people do to help, support? Are there causes people should be looking to donate to? How can folks get involved? Well, I would say listen to a lot of the voices from inside Iran. It's a grassroots movement. It's an indigenous movement.

and a lot of women inside the country are risking their lives as we spoke, pushing for this issue, try to echo their voices, share information about these issues, show solidarity, use the hashtags, or as Iranian women are saying, say her name, Masa, meaning that's been one of the slogans. One of the other slogans was woman life, freedom. It's, I think, such a progressive and forward-looking and all-income, passing slogan, woman life freedom,

Zan, Zendigy, Azzadi, just, you know, repeat these chance, use the hashtag, share the stories, show solidarity. If you have Iranian friends, talk to them, see if they need support, hear the stories, and just, you know,

show that we're in this connected world, we really are connected, and don't let them feel like they're being subjected to this brutal violence on their own in one corner and that nobody else cares. you're doing such an incredible job of curating these conversations about life in Iran and the cultural and political aspects of the country.

Where can folks, can you tell us about the podcast and how folks can listen to it? Sure. So the Iran podcast started over two years ago as a pandemic podcast. It's a weekly interview-style conversation on Iranian politics, society, culture. We talk about these issues, women's rights, human rights. And we try to go beyond just your average five-minute mainstream media segment, which mostly is about the nuclear program and the nuclear issue, and try to bring in feature experts that know so much about their field. Also, you don't necessarily see them as your everyday commentator on mainstream media.

And, yeah, so the podcast is available on major platforms, Apple, Spotify. Google cast box, I think around 10 or 12 platforms. It's also available on Anchor.fm. slash the Iran podcast. That's the main link where they can go and see all the platforms that's available or just search the Iran podcast on their favorite podcast app. I'm also very active on Twitter at Negar Mortazavi, where I share all of my interviews, a lot of the information,

and also podcast episodes. And just also great outlets that are covering the news in Persian and also in English and some organizations and NGOs and activists that are trying to bring this issue and keep the reporting alive in a global stage. I am in complete awe of the bravery of these women risking their lives to fight for change in Iran. And Iranian women deserve to be heard. So let's keep sharing their stories and amplifying their voices because solidarity is global and their voices are powerful. If you're looking for ways to support the show, check out our merch store at tangoity.com slash store.

Got a story about an interesting thing in tech or just want to say hi? You can reach us at hello at tangooty.com. You can also find transcripts for today's episode at tangooty.com. There are no girls on the internet was created by me, Bridget Todd. It's a production of IHeartRadio and Unbossed Creative. edited by Joey Pat Jonathan Strickland is our executive producer Taray Harrison is our producer

and sound engineer. Michael Amato is our contributing producer. I'm your host, Bridget Todd. If you want to help us grow, rate and review us on Apple Podcasts. For more podcasts from Iheart Radio, check out the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Another podcast from some SNL

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