Special Report: Iran ❤️
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The Ten News Season 3: Bonus
Ten News Special Report:
✔️ Ten terms you need to know about Iran right now
🪧 Correspondent Pamela Kirkland breaks down the ongoing protests happening in Iran
💙 Student activist Anahita Maleknia tells us about a rally she organized and what you can do to get involved in the fight for human rights.
🧑🚀 Trivia with Tessa: Jasmin Moghbeli, an Iranian American AH-1W Super Cobra pilot and Marine Corps test pilot, has flown over 150 combat missions in over 25 different aircraft. Can you guess what Jasmin has planned for 2023?
Links
Who is in charge of Iran? - BBC News
The Qur’an (article) | Islam | Khan Academy
Hijab Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster
Jasmin Moghbeli (Lt. Col., U.S. Marine Corps) NASA Astronaut | NASA
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TRANSCRIPT:
Ryan Willard 0:02
I did it. I'm actually the first one at work. I can play Minecraft for a full hour before anyone else shows up. Uhh... Ten News Studio, this is Ryan.
Everett 0:13
Hey, Ryan. It's Everett, a lot of my classmates are talking about Iran. They're asking me questions I can't answer.
Ryan Willard 0:22
Hold on one sec, Ten News Studio, this is Ryan.
Aruna 0:26
Ryan, what are you doing in the studio this early?
Ryan Willard 0:29
Well, I was trying to get an hour of screen time in before everyone else shows up. But wait, Aruna, why are you asking me hard questions so early in the morning?
Aruna 0:37
Ryan, I'm a kid correspondent. That's what we do.
Ryan Willard 0:40
Yeah. Okay. That's fair.
Aruna 0:42
Ryan, I think we should do a Ten News Special Report on Iran. Everyone at my school is talking about it.
Ryan Willard 0:48
Yeah, I think we should wait for Pamela because she's probably already started.
Pamela Kirkland 0:52
Ryan, you're early. I'm so glad. I need your help doing a special report on...
Ryan Willard 0:58
What's happening in Iran? Yeah, I've got the kid correspondents on the line. We've already started, Pamela.
Pamela Kirkland 1:03
I'm Pamela Kirkland.
Ryan Willard 1:05
And I'm Ryan Willard.
Pamela Kirkland 1:06
And this is a Ten News Special Report.
Sound Bit 1:10
10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
Pamela Kirkland 1:16
Before we get into what is happening in Iran right now, let's cover some terms that our kid correspondents had questions about.
Kid Correspondent 1:26
Where is Iran?
Pamela Kirkland 1:27
Iran is located in the Middle East and is the Islamic Republic of Iran has a theocracy, which is a government-run according to religion. In this case, Islam. The current government was formed in 1979. After the Iranian Revolution, also known as the Islamic Revolution. The current leader is Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, and he is called the Supreme Leader. He is the head of state and in charge of the country's military.
Kid Correspondent 1:58
Why are grownups talking about human rights?
Ryan Willard 2:01
After the Iranian Revolution, the new leaders wanted a more conservative Iran which meant a very strict interpretation of their religion. They took away many social freedoms and rights, especially women's rights. Iran's government also created a group called the morality police to enforce the strict rules around people's dress, sometimes violently. The force made up of both male and female officers has been enforcing new stricter rules that were created this past summer around hijabs.
Kid Correspondent 2:29
What is a hijab?
Pamela Kirkland 2:31
A hijab is a cloth cover for the hair and neck traditionally worn by some Muslim women. In other countries where women have more rights, they may choose to wear a hijab, if that's part of their religious beliefs, or choose not to. In Iran, it's the law for women to cover their hair. If you're not properly wearing your hijab, you can get fined or arrested. And a recent arrest of a young woman by the morality police is what sparked the current protests.
Ryan Willard 3:06
So, what exactly is happening in Iran right now? Pamela Kirkland is going to break it all down for us.
Pamela Kirkland 3:11
You will remember we told you about Mahsa Amini a few episodes ago. She was a 22-year-old Kurdish woman who died after being detained by Iran's morality police allegedly for not wearing her hijab properly. They say they arrested Amini on September 16th for unsuitable attire. It's not uncommon for women to be arrested for this in Iran. After her death, some Iranians took to the streets, many of them students to demand an end to religious dress codes and other conservative laws. A lot of these restrictions have been in place since 1979, shortly after the Iranian revolution, but citizens say that the enforcement of these laws by the morality police has stepped up a lot since the country elected a new president last year. So why are these protests happening now? Well, three days after Mahsa Amini was detained by the morality police, she died. Her family said she had bruises all over her body. The morality police denied that they had contributed to her injuries and her death claiming she died of a heart attack. The country's authorities say they're investigating, but protesters say enough is enough. Protests in Iran started on September 17th and have spread to all of the country's 31 provinces. Many protesters say they're not only against the laws that restrict the freedoms of women, but also the new president's handling of inflation and other economic issues that have left Iranians poor students have played a large role in these recent protests putting their lives on the line. Okay, that's bad. On October 2nd, state security forces attacked a group of peacefully protesting students at the Sharif University of Technology in Tehran, even using rubber bullets the UN authorities came down particularly hard on the students. According to The New York Times, it was reportedly some of the most shocking scenes to come out of the country many of the protests have been met with violence but that's not stopping these brave students. The current protests in the name of masa meanie have been organized under the slogan women's life freedom, the students in this movement are part of a legacy of young people determined to end repression in their country. As a result, protests have since flared up around the world in places like the United States, Greece, Germany, and Canada. Women have also played a prominent role in these protests, waving and burning their veils. Some have even publicly cut their hair. Hair has become a symbol of this fight because a meanies hair was supposedly sticking out of her hijab. But there's an Iranian woman who's being called a hero. She's a rock climber and spoke out after an international competition in Seoul, South Korea. Elnaz Rekabi broke around the strict dress code by not wearing a hijab while competing. When the video of her climb came out, people were immediately concerned for her safety. Elnaz says she climbed without her hijab because she was in a rush. But some people don't believe that and say she's only saying that because the Iranian Government is making her. A crowd cheered when her plane landed chanting Elnaz is a heroine.
Ryan Willard 6:47
Did you know that students here are organizing to help get the word out? We wanted to speak to one of those students. Here's student activist Anahita Maleknia to tell us about the rally she organized and what you can do to get involved in the fight for human rights. Hi, Anahita, thank you so much for joining us. Can you tell us a little about your background?
Anahita Maleknia 7:04
Thank you all so much for having me, really. So I was born and raised in Huntsville, Alabama. I'm currently a sophomore at the University of Alabama in Birmingham. And both my parents were Iranian immigrants. They actually own a small business back in Huntsville. I have one older brother, he actually goes to UAB as well. He's in their med school.
Ryan Willard 7:25
We heard you organize a rally to support the women of Iran. What inspired you to do so?
Anahita Maleknia 7:30
Yeah, thank you so much for asking about that. So what inspired me in the spur of the moment was my family, they're everything to me in this. I feel like this was the least I could do, in taking action. I didn't want to just post on social media, I wanted to actually do something. And another thing was I just thought about the girls my age in Iran, and they just want to live a normal life just like anyone else. And I think that should touch a lot of people's souls, especially in the United States to spread awareness.
Ryan Willard 8:02
What do you think is the most important thing to know about what's happening in Iran right now,
Anahita Maleknia 8:06
What y'all need to know is that the most important thing happening right now is that this is not a fight against Islam. This is not a fight against the hijab. This is a fight for women's equality and women's freedom.
Ryan Willard 8:16
What would your family and Iran want to say we need to know?
Anahita Maleknia 8:19
I think at this point, I'd, I think they want us to know that they're not going to give up, that this is a revolution. We are watching history in the making right now. And I think they want us to know that they appreciate our support, but do not stop spreading the word and keep spreading awareness. So they are even more motivated to keep pushing and to make a difference in this regime.
Ryan Willard 8:47
What advice do you have for other students wanting to get involved?
Anahita Maleknia 8:50
Okay, so y'all actually a step ahead of the game? The first thing I was gonna say was, to educate yourselves first, but that's exactly what you're doing by listening to this podcast in the first place. So yeah, educate yourself, learn the facts, spread awareness on social media so that your friends and family can see, and then what you could also ask your parents to do is possibly donate to the Center for Human Rights in Iran. They work on engaging with local communities, and they research human rights violations, especially happening in Iran to ensure that cases are shared and supported on last but not least, y'all can sign petitions. So, Amnesty International is the world's largest grassroots human rights organization, and they ask for emergency donations to help fund investigations that they can report to the United Nations, and that can make a difference. So that would be awesome.
Ryan Willard 9:43
We really appreciate you taking the time to join us. Thank you again, Anahita.
Tessa Flannery 9:52
Welcome to the trivia room.
Everett 9:55
Yes, I'm back for more trivia.
Tessa Flannery 9:57
Welcome back, Everett. Hop on up on the trivia thrown for today's trivia question. You ready?
Everett 10:03
I'm ready like spaghetti!
Sound Bit 10:08
What is going on here?
Tessa Flannery 10:17
Jasmin Moghbeli is an Iranian Iranian American AH-1W Super Cobra pilot and Marine Corps test pilot. She's flown over 150 combat missions in over 25 different aircraft. Now she has something big planned for 2023... Is it a) Command of the NASA SpaceX crew seven Mission to Space, b) becoming the head instructor at the Top Gun flight school, or c) become a character in the new Super Cobra pilot video game? Ten'ers, Did you guess it? Everett? What's your answer?
Everett 10:49
I think it's B. Because if she's that good at flying, the military we will probably want her as a flight instructor.
Tessa Flannery 10:58
The answer is A. Jasmin Moghbeli reported for duty at NASA in August 2017 and completed two years of training as an astronaut candidate. She works in the exploration office testing the human landing system. Lieutenant Colonel mocha belly was selected as commander of the NASA Space X crew seven mission to the International Space Station, which is expected to launch sometime in 2023. Ten'ers, do you want to sit on the trivia throne and share your trivia knowledge? Visit thetennews.com/contact to get in touch and we might have you on the show.
Pamela Kirkland 11:36
I think we should wrap up our special report. But before we do, here's a quick note for the grownups.
Ryan Willard 11:43
Thanks for listening to The Ten News. Our show is now weekly and drops every Wednesday. But, if you want some bonus content, you can join the Ten'ers Club on our website or on Apple podcasts club members get special bonus content and more.
Pamela Kirkland 11:54
The Ten News is a coproduction of Small But Mighty Media and Next Chapter Podcasts.
Ryan Willard 12:00
The Ten News creative team is learning more about Iran and includes Tracey Crooks, Pete Musto, Tessa Flannery, and Logan DeYoung. A special thanks to our kid correspondents, Everett and Aruna for helping with this episode. And a big thank you and shout out to Anahita for joining us.
Pamela Kirkland 12:13
Our production director is Jeremiah Tittle. And our executive producers are Donald Albright and show creator Tracy Leeds Kaplan.
Ryan Willard 12:22
I'm Ryan Willard.
Pamela Kirkland 12:23
And I'm Pamela Kirkland. Thanks for listening to the Ten News and we hope to see you soon!
