Reading Time: 8 minutes He sleepwalked through a massacre. Now, despite (or because of) a lack of skills or personality, Raisi is likely to stumble upward into the role of Supreme Leader.
Kaveh Mousavi reporting from Tehran.
Kaveh Mousavi
An Iranian researcher, writer, and teacher who is an ex-Muslim atheist currently living in one of the theocracies in the world, Iran. Interested in literature, philosophy, and political sciences, especially International Relations. A pragmatic liberal and a reformist with values that some might consider revolutionary.
Posted inFree Expression
What we talk about when we talk about hijab—a view from Tehran
Reading Time: 9 minutes Like all people called to witness the unraveling of history as it happens, I am plagued more than anything by anxiety, a child of uncertainty. The tidy parade of events in history books belies the fact that those living through it do not know how their chapter will end. Will the chaos in Iran breed anything but further chaos? Will everything fall apart?
Posted inPolitics
The global impact of the war in Ukraine
Reading Time: 5 minutes OnlySky · The global impact of the war In Ukraine | Kaveh Mousavi A war is like an earthquake: it can be devastating and its human toll can be tragic. It can occupy the airwaves and cyberspace, monopolizing the collective consciousness and conscience of the citizens of the world as they gaze sadly upon the […]
Posted inCulture
‘Condolences and congratulations on the death of your son’: How a culture of martyrdom poisoned a nation
Reading Time: 11 minutes There was another wave of spikes in cases and deaths due to COVID-19. Was it the second one? The third? I cannot remember. But I do remember that the daily death numbers were in triple digits and that the map of Iran–my nation–was drenched in bloodlike crimson. We were physically present in my place of […]
Posted inGeneral
Empathy for the Incels
Reading Time: 3 minutes Using incels as example, Kaveh explains why empathy can be a deceptive emotion.
Posted inGeneral
My Pronoun is U: My Life as a Non-Binary Iranian
Reading Time: 3 minutes An article about how my Iranian and non-binary identities have interacted in predictable and surprising ways.
Posted inPolitics
Why Trump Is a Potential Tyrant: A Comparative Look
Reading Time: 10 minutes The question is not about whether Trump will be a tyrant, but that he wants to. Trump wants to be a tyrant, his behavior shows he’s behaving like other tyrants, he speaks like other tyrants, and he thinks like other tyrants.
Posted inPolitics
The Iranian Law on Abortion is Less Restrictive than the One in Alabama.
Reading Time: 2 minutes In the past week, a number of red states passed laws that effectively ban abortion. Via 538: Alabama this week enacted a law that bans all abortions except to save a woman’s life. There would be no exceptions for pregnancies caused by incest or rape, and conducting an abortion could result in a prison sentence […]
Posted inUncategorized
Islam Q&A
Reading Time: 4 minutes I decided to ask my Facebook friends to ask me any questions they have about Islam, thinking the questions and answers would make a good blog post. Feel free to ask your own questions in the comments. I had done one of these about Iran before, this new one is about Islam. What are the […]
Posted inPolitics, The Secular
Check Out My Interview with A Tippling Philosopher
Reading Time: < 1 minute My friend and colleague Jonathan MS Pierce interviewed me. We talk about the experience of being an atheist in Iran, and also politics, Iranian and American. Do check out the interview please. Also, you can check Jonathan’s blog.