Iran Unveiled

Iran is currently experiencing the most important change in its history since the revolution of 1979 and the establishment of the Islamic Republic: The regime in Tehran, traditionally ruled by the Shia clergy, is transforming into a military dictatorship dominated by the officers of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC; Sepah-e Pasdaran-e Enqelab-e Eslami). This transformation is changing not only the economy and society in Iran, but also the Islamic Republic’s relations with the United States and its allies.

The regime in Tehran, traditionally ruled by the Shia clergy, is transforming into a military dictatorship dominated by the officers of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). The rise of the IRGC is bound to challenge the interests of the United States in the Middle East and beyond. The author uses rarely studied sources from the Persian-language press to reveal how the IRGC officers have risen to power in Iran and the impact of the Islamic Republic's transformation into a military dictatorship. He highlights how Iran's recent attacks against American diplomats and support for armed insurgents in Iraq and Afghanistan indicate the IRGC's increasing adventurism and risk taking.

"Revolution Unveiled: A Closer Look at Iran's Presence and Influence in the Middle East, by Phillip Smyth, Tim Michetti, and Owen Daniels, pieces together snapshots of Iran's influence in the region using photographic analysis, geolocation, social media monitoring, and other methods. Through four case studies, this report systematically examines new or lesser-known methods Iran employs to project its influence beyond its borders. By using proxy Shia groups, ideology, arms provision, and transnational networks, Tehran destabilizes and strikes at regional adversaries to achieve its strategic and policy objectives"--Publisher's description.

Drawing on the complexities and nuances in women’s education in relation to the aftermath of the 1979 Iranian Revolution, this edited collection examines implications of religious-based policies on gender relations as well as the unanticipated outcomes of increasing participation of women in education. With a focus on the impact of the Islamic Republic’s Islamicization endeavor on Iranian society, specifically gender relations and education, this volume offers insight into the paradox of increasing educational opportunities despite discriminatory laws and restrictions that have been imposed on women.

The repression in Iran during the past thirty-three years has spilled into nearly every aspect of common citizens lives. Human rights, integrity, ethics, cultural values, and legal morality in Iran have all been dismantled piece by piece since the revolution. In The Iranian Chronicles, author Ali Delforoush, who was born in Iran, presents a collection of eight true narratives about Iranian citizens and the challenges they face with respect to their nations repressive regime. Based on more than four hundred interviews, The Iranian Chronicles portrays the relationships among the Iranian government, its people, and its social issues, including censorship, association in public, womens rights, homosexuality, prostitution, and drugs. It tells the stories of Omid, a young hip-hop artist struggling with censorship; Nahid, a student activist who was unjustly imprisoned and tortured in the aftermath of the 2009 uprisings; Rasul, a wealthy merchant lost between the lines of love and lust; and Parisa, a prostitute who was forced into a temporary marriage with a cleric. Through poignant, firsthand accounts, The Iranian Chronicles describes the realities of everyday life in Iran and puts a real human face on the challenges the noble and compassionate citizens must deal with under the Islamic Republic rule.

What would you do? What if you stumbled across a messagea simple interpretation of scripture much simpler than scholars had been telling usand it opened your eyes and completely transformed your perspective of the end times? What if you knew in your heart and mind it was true because news coming from the Middle East confirmed this message every day? What if millions of lives were about to be deeply affected and someone had to say something? And what if that someone had to be you? What would you do? If you want to know the truth regarding present-day events in the Middle East and how they will affect you and your family, you need to get this book. A major fire has been lit and few are paying attention. Dr. Sonny Payne, founder of New Gate Ministries and host of the international television program Jerusalem Chronicles What Mark has done is create a very quick read for those Christians who can feel something coming but cant put their finger on it, who know that God is in control but, in a world spiraling into chaos, dont know where to go scripturally. Chris Mantei, Northeast Region Community Voice, Voice of the Martyrs The message in this book needs to be heard today! I wholeheartedly and enthusiastically recommend this book. It will change the way you face the future! Carl Sutter, senior pastor, Foundations Church, Loveland, Colorado

Why were urban women veiled in the early 1900s, unveiled from 1936 to 1979, and reveiled after the 1979 revolution? This question forms the basis of Hamideh Sedghi's original and unprecedented contribution to politics and Middle Eastern studies. Using primary and secondary sources, Sedghi offers new knowledge on women's agency in relation to state power. In this rigorous analysis she places contention over women at the centre of the political struggle between secular and religious forces and demonstrates that control over women's identities, sexuality, and labor has been central to the consolidation of state power. Sedghi links politics and culture with economics to present an integrated analysis of the private and public lives of different classes of women and their modes of resistance to state power.