I want to celebrate the creation of this blog with a tale very dear to my heart: the story of king Shahryar and his Vizier's daughter, Shahrzad which is the frame story for the tales in One Thousand and One Nights.

Once upon a time an all-powerful king, named Shahryar,...

NOTE: Since this post was written, Sakineh Ashtiani has reportedly been freed.

The battle for emancipation is part of a proud tradition that will shape the future of the regime and Islam itself.

Last month, Mohammad Javad Larijani, the head of the Iranian High Council for Human Rights,...

"If you prick us do we not bleed?"
The Merchant of Venice

Last summer the image of a 23-year-old Iranian girl, named Neda, dominated the media and internet as the world witnessed on the television and internet screens her being shot and killed while participating in a protest...