Simin Behbahani (1927-2014) is well known and widely praised, both in Iran and internationally, for the innovations that she introduced into the classical genre of Persian ghazal (love poem). She is known for her philosophical reflection on the fate of human beings. Behbahani wrote about topical issues taking place in Iran such as the Revolution…

From mediaeval times, hair has played a crucial role in dictating the boundaries of gender and piety in Islamic societies. In the Sharia, growing a beard was considered a norm that implied piety, masculinity, and submission to God’s creation (by not changing the beard’s natural growth). Naturally, pious Muslim men were supposed to observe this…