Payam-e-Hajar (Persian: پیام هاجر, romanized: payām-i Hājar, lit. 'The Message of Hagar') was an Iranian nationalist-religious periodical publication in magazine-format that focused on current sociopolitical affairs of Iran. Founded by Azam Taleghani in 1979, it was considered a forum for reform-minded Muslims[1] and was banned in April 2000.[2]
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 Cover on 15 June 1999 | |
| Editor | Azam Taleghani |
|---|---|
| Categories | Social, Political, Economical, Cultural |
| Frequency | Monthly |
| Format | Magazine |
| Publisher | Women's Society of Islamic Revolution |
| Founder | Azam Taleghani |
| Founded | 1979 |
| Final issue | April 2000 |
| Country | Iran |
| Based in | Tehran |
| Language | Persian |
| OCLC | 1033923628 |
Political alignment and content
editDespite being committed to both Islam and the Iranian Revolution, the magazine was critical of the clerical establishment and advocated Islamic feminism.[3]
According to Roja Fazaeli, the main theme of the publication was about women's rights and legal reforms within an Islamic framework, and it was "the first magazine that worked within the framework of Islam to raise questions about the necessity of reinterpreting Islamic laws to address gender equality".[1]
Jaleh Taheri argues that the magazine "provides a dynamic reinterpretation of Qur'anic verses".[4] She exemplifies this notion with an essay named The Necessity for the Reform of Laws Concerning Divorce, Polygyny, and Child Custody (1992), in which the author opposes legalization of polygyny in Iran, on the grounds that verse 3 of An-Nisa should be understood as constraining polygyny only to specific cases and for the sake of social needs, which are non-existent in contemporary period.[4]
Staff
editAzam Taleghani served as the magazine's managing director and editor-in-chief. Narges Mohammadi was among the contributors to the publication.[5]
References
edit
- ^ a b Fazaeli, Roja (2016), Islamic Feminisms: Rights and Interpretations Across Generations in Iran, Taylor & Francis, pp. 10, 38–39, 67, ISBN 9781315411446
- ^ Frings-Hessami, Khadija (2001), "Reviewed Work: Islam and Gender: The Religious Debate in Contemporary Iran by Ziba Mir-Hosseini", Middle Eastern Studies, 37 (1): 227–234, JSTOR 4284147
- ^ Lapidus, Ira (27 September 2000), "Finding the Seeds of Hope In a Society of Paradoxes", The New York Times, retrieved 5 May 2021
- ^ a b Taheri, Jaleh (2011). "Areas of Iranian women's voice and influence". In Bahramitash, Roksana; Hooglund, Eric (eds.). Gender in Contemporary Iran: Pushing the boundaries. Routledge. p. 90. ISBN 9781136824265.
- ^ Sahimi, Muhammad (10 May 2012), Nationalist, Religious, and Resolute: Narges Mohammadi, PBS, archived from the original on 29 June 2012, retrieved 31 October 2012