United For Neda

If you've been watching the television news coverage of the election crisis and protests in Iran, perhaps like me you have been struck by the powerful images of women, many conservatively dressed and in headscarves, protesting in the streets. We in the West think of women in conservative Middle Eastern countries as being powerless and oppressed, without a voice - and to a large extent, that's true by most standards. In Iran, for example, polygamy is legal, women cannot run for president, arranged marriages for girls as young as 13 is permissible and fewer than 13 percent of Iranian women have paid jobs outside the home. Rampant discrimination in the legal system hurts women in divorce, custody, property rights and financial cases, and feminist political leaders are often arrested. Less serious, but relevant to this blog, women are forbidden from singing or releasing music. However, despite their circumstances, women in Iran have shown their political power, and continue to risk their safety and lives every day with continuing protests in the streets featuring seas of women in the crowds.

One such woman caught in the crossfire is the now famous Neda, who was shot and killed by the Iranian authorities during a protest. Video of her death has been circulated around the globe, and she's already being called a martyr. Now, her story has been memorialized in song by Iranian ex-pats who have released "United For Neda".