The Fire Next Time

A quiet space in the noise — drifting thoughts,
small truths, and everything in between.

Siyavash Shahabi

Author: Siyavash Shahabi

  • Balochistan’s Struggle Against Religious Intolerance

    Balochistan’s Struggle Against Religious Intolerance

    In the early days of the Zhina uprising and the Zhin, Zhian, Azadi movement, Baloch women joined forces with their sisters to fight against religious fundamentalism and misogynistic society in Baluchistan/Iran. They demanded gender equality, recognition of female identity, and participation in Baloch nationalism and public life. This movement evolved over time, influenced by the…

  • Renewal of Residence Permits in Greece: Caught in Legal Limbo

    Renewal of Residence Permits in Greece: Caught in Legal Limbo

    A large crowd of beneficiaries of international or subsidiary protection have not been able to renew their residence permits, and are only receiving a 6-month certificate confirming that their renewal is pending. This can cause serious problems in many areas, including employment and insurance. Although they have these certificates, many refugees have complained that they…

  • Power and the Production of History

    Power and the Production of History

    Trouillot argues that history is not simply a neutral record of past events, but a product of the social, political, and economic structures of the present. He contends that the way in which history is written and the stories that are told reflect the interests and perspectives of those in power. In other words, history…

  • Bypassing Religion in Iran? A Rare TV Debate

    Bypassing Religion in Iran? A Rare TV Debate

    Recently, a TV debate on women’s rights in Iran has caused controversy. Dr. Maryam Nasr, a member of the Women’s Studies Department at the Research Institute of Humanities and Cultural Studies, and a clergyman named Majid Dehghan, a faculty member at the Women and Family Research Institute, discussed the topic of “Sovereignty and Gender Issues”…

  • United Against Brutality: A Call for Solidarity with Iranians

    United Against Brutality: A Call for Solidarity with Iranians

    To date, they have received 200 signatures from over 20 countries. Signatories include individuals from various professions such as academics, doctors, lawyers, journalists, and artists, as well as representatives from trade unions, political and associative organizations.

  • Evin’s Dark Night: A Report on the Killing, Torture, and Transfer of Political Prisoners during the October 15th Fire

    Evin’s Dark Night:
    A Report on the Killing, Torture, and Transfer of Political Prisoners during the October 15th Fire

    On October 15th, a tragic event occurred at Evin prison in Iran, one of the country’s most feared facilities. Despite the passage of three months, the exact details of what happened remain a mystery, as independent investigations are not permitted in the Islamic Republic. Among the prisoners held at Evin are political dissidents, ordinary citizens,…

  • Greece’s Pushback Problem: Evidence Mounts as Denials Persist

    Greece’s Pushback Problem:
    Evidence Mounts as Denials Persist

    Greece has been facing accusations of illegal pushbacks of migrants and asylum seekers for several years. However, the country’s Minister of Migration and Asylum, Notis Mitarachi, recently denied that there is any truth to these claims. Despite this denial, evidence of illegal pushbacks has continued to surface in increasing numbers in 2022.

  • Iranian Feminist May Face Death Penalty for Protesting Compulsory Hijab

    Iranian Feminist May Face Death Penalty for Protesting Compulsory Hijab

    Mozhgan Keshavarz, an Iranian feminist, was arrested in early 2019 along with two other women’s rights activists, Munirah Arabshahi and Yasman Ariani (mother and daughter), for protesting against the compulsory hijab. Before their arrest, these three had published a video on social media giving flowers to women in the metro without hijab on 8 March.…

  • Inadequate Care: The Plight of Medical Aid for Refugees in Greece’s Camps

    Inadequate Care: The Plight of Medical Aid for Refugees in Greece’s Camps

    Waris Ali and Tsiona Nzita are two resent examples of individuals who have died in the refugee camps due to lack of access to medical care. The reason for the death of both of them was the long delay in the arrival of the ambulance.

  • Don’t Tell Mom

    Don’t Tell Mom

    Mohsen Shekari, 23, was a waiter in Tehran. Majid Reza Rahnavard, 23, was publicly hanged from a crane in Mashhad (northeastern Iran) and did not have a defined profession. Seyyed Mohammad Hosseini, 39, was a worker and an orphan of both parents. He still published pictures on his Instagram that he took on a trip…

  • The Political Foundations of Kurdistan’s Leftist and Communist Cooperation Council

    The Political Foundations of Kurdistan’s Leftist and Communist Cooperation Council

    In the past months of the ongoing revolution in Iran, numerous pictures and videos from different Kurdish cities were published on social networks, which had a more radical political message than what was going on in other parts of Iran. “Long live socialism”, “Long live the council management” and emphasizing the opposition to the centralized…

  • An Outskirts Portrait of Tehran

    An Outskirts Portrait of Tehran

    According to the governor of Tehran, approximately 5 million people live in these neighborhoods around the city, many of whom reside in dilapidated buildings that are at risk of collapsing. While the media is not forbidden from publishing reports on these neighborhoods, they may choose not to do so due to the possibility of being…