Mahboubeh Abbasgholizadeh facts for kids

Mahboubeh Abbasgholizadeh (Persian: محبوبه عباسقلی‌زاده) is an Iranian activist who champions women's rights. She is also a researcher, journalist, and film-maker. Mahboubeh leads the Zanan Broadcasting Network and is a key member of the "Stop Stoning Forever" campaign. This campaign works to end a harsh punishment in Iran. She also supports the Iranian Women's Charter movement.

Mahboubeh used to lead the Association of Women Writers and Journalists. She was also the main editor for a journal about women's studies called Farzeneh. Since 2004, she has faced many challenges. Her organization, the Non-Governmental Organisation Training Centre (NGOTC), was closed down. In 2010, after she left Iran for Europe, an Iranian court sentenced her to prison for "actions against national security."

Early Life and Education

Mahboubeh Abbasgholizadeh was born in Khoramshahr, a city in southern Iran. She studied theology at Tehran University. She also earned degrees in Islamic Sciences from Islamic Azad University and Communication Sciences from Allameh Tabatabaee University. She even studied Arabic literature in Cairo, Egypt.

Mahboubeh was part of Iran's Islamic Revolution. This experience made her interested in how the Quran could be understood to support women's rights. In 1986, she helped start the Institute of Women's Studies and Research (IWSR). She became the editor of the institute's journal, Farzaneh, in 1993. In her first editorial for Farzaneh, she wrote that studying women's issues could help women live good Islamic lives.

Standing Up for Women's Rights

In 1997, Mahboubeh saw that many women's publications were being shut down. So, she created the Association of Women Writers and Journalists. This group helped protect women's voices. She has also worked hard on several important campaigns:

• The Women's Access to Public Stadiums campaign, which fights for women to be allowed to watch sports in stadiums.
• The Stop Stoning Forever campaign, which aims to end stoning as a punishment.
• The Iranian Women's Charter, a movement to create a document outlining women's rights in Iran.

Facing Challenges as an Activist

Mahboubeh has faced difficulties because of her activism. In 2004, she was arrested after giving a speech in Bangkok. She was held for a month, and her organization, NGOTC, was closed.

She was arrested again in 2007, just before International Women's Day. This happened during a peaceful protest in Tehran. She was held in Evin Prison for over a month.

In 2009, she was arrested a third time while trying to attend a funeral. This was for a religious leader who had criticized the government. She was released after a day, but only if she removed some films she had made from her group's website. After this, she left Iran for Europe.

In 2010, while she was away, an Iranian court sentenced her to prison. They said she had done "acts against national security."

Awards and Teaching

In 2010, Mahboubeh Abbasgholizadeh received the Johann Philipp Palm Prize. This award honors people who stand up for freedom of expression and the press. She now teaches about women's social movements in Muslim countries at UConn university.

Works

Writing

• "Chirā Farzānah?" [Why Farzaneh?], Farzaneh 1 (Fall 1993)
• "The Experience of Islamic Feminism in Iran," Farzaneh 15, no. 10 (Winter 2000): 7-14

Films

• Women Behind Bars