Who are the basij? A look at Iran's hard-line militia
The LA Times has a fantastic profile of an Iranian couple who were both members of the Basiji - the hard-line militia group that provides much of the muscle behind the governments crackdowns on the opposition. It's an incredibly personal story of transformation.
The basij have long fascinated watchers of Iran, but given their enmity to the West, rarely speak with Western journalists. This profile seems to have been possible because the writer was longtime friends of the couple. Kouross Esmaeli, a journalist working with Collective Journalism for Current was able to get unprecedented access to the group a few years ago and some of its members gave him a very frank depiction of their worldview.
Basijis: Iran’s Culture Cops (VIDEO) - The militia backing up Ahmadinejad
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Once during a law class she took to help with her part-time job at a law office, the subject was women's rights. Under Iranian law, the professor said, a woman was worth half a man when it came to court testimony or inheritance.
"That's not fair," she burst out, reminded of the bitter child-custody battle that her sister had endured, and lost, against an abusive husband.
"You're a feminist," the professor accused her.
That night, she pulled out a dictionary and looked up "feminist."
She read the definition, and decided that she was.
The basij have long fascinated watchers of Iran, but given their enmity to the West, rarely speak with Western journalists. This profile seems to have been possible because the writer was longtime friends of the couple. Kouross Esmaeli, a journalist working with Collective Journalism for Current was able to get unprecedented access to the group a few years ago and some of its members gave him a very frank depiction of their worldview.
Basijis: Iran’s Culture Cops (VIDEO) - The militia backing up Ahmadinejad
Recently on the Current News Blog:
- Is college worth the high cost? - The Real Recovery
- Pandemic in Ukraine - Is it swine flu?
- Who's unemployed in America? - The Real Recovery
- DC sniper John Allen Muhammad to be executed tonight
- How safe are Pakistani nukes?
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