Julie Costanzo

Click below to read what she told Holly about:

• Iranian youth
• temporary marriage
• freedom of the press
• concerns

The following transcript was translated from Farsi.

Holly: How long have you been publishing?

SH: Ten years, 76 Issues.

Holly: What is the lead story in the most recent issue?

SH: The latest issue is about the presidential election. The most important article is the interview with President Khatami's wife, who had not done interviews with any other publication prior to this time. When I asked her to interview, she said, 'I won't do an interview. I said, 'Fine I won't do an interview with you.' When I get there she said 'I'll just talk with you, and you can write the result.' I assured her, 'I'll show you whatever I write to make sure there's nothing to cause a problem for you or Mr. Khatami.' She accepted and we taped the interview.

Because of the many details about Mr. President's life, it got a lot of attention from Iranian and foreign journalists, and I heard the other media have quoted the article.

It is an indepth interview, which gives many details about all of the angles of their life. For instance, if Mr. Khatami doesn't come home at night, who calls to let his wife know, him or the people from his office?

Holly: what do you mean doesn't come home at night?

SH: Sometimes he has a lot of work to do, and many meetings, so he doesn't go home. He has a place to sleep in his office.

Holly: Obviously you are a very effective journalist — what's your secret?

SH: Thanks for your compliment. I think one reason for the success of Zanan — which is not just my work, it is a group working — is that I don't do any other job except the magazine. You can see in Iran that many journalists have other responsibilities; I never accept any other job but the magazine, and journalism work as a whole.

Holly: Is work and pleasure the same for you?

SH: Almost. But I am the type of person who likes to be free. I mean, to have leisure time as well to do the things I like to do, or to be with my family. For that reason I don't want to have a government job, or to be a Parliament representative.

Holly: Your magazine is credited with having a lot of influence on the recent election, do you think that is true?

SH: I hope that is so, but in any case, Zanan has the highest circulation among women's publications in Iran.

Holly: What do you think that the Western feminist misunderstands about Iranian feminism?

SH: I basically think that Western feminists don't know if feminism exists in Iran. And some people think that women in Iran still remain at home behind the veil, they don't have any activities outside. When they come to Iran, they are looking for that: 'Why do women stay at home?' But when they come they understand that the propaganda about Iranian woman is not true.

You've probably noticed that women are active on many social, and political levels, and that they are working now. And it is not something that the government granted them, but rather it is the demands of the women themselves that forced the government and society to let the woman into these realms.

Because the interpretation of Islam in different countries is different. Maybe in Saudi Arabia, where the women can't even drive, there may not be feminism. But I am a Muslim, I have Islamic faith, and at the same time I am doing my work.

Holly:Are the generations different?

SH: Naturally different generations and different age groups have different demands. For that reason I have been asked numerous times to dedicate a section of magazine to teenaged girls. But while I think they do have their own specific issue, I don't think that Zanan can do specialized work on young girls' issues — they have to have their own special magazine.

But even the same age groups in different political and social conditions have different needs. For instance when I was 16 or 17, I used to read heavy political books and serious articles. But my daughter prefers to read romance.

Holly: Are there young women on your staff?

SH: Yes, you can find young girls in my writing hall at the magazine. And I prefer to work with youth.

Holly: Why is that?

SH: Because they are working for creation, and not just for earning money, and not as a habit.

Holly: What was the youth's role in the recent elections?

SH: It was marvelous. I think the reformists put their fingers on a good point, attracting the youth in order to bring them to ballot boxes. I think it was a successful job. During the ten days that they (reformists) organized many meetings to hear speeches by Mr. Khatami, the youth made an enormous shift (after listening). I mean, they move from childhood and youth dreams to a new phase, and I can see the reaction in my daughter. She became interested in reading the newspaper after that day. And because I bring many newspapers home, she places them on the table, and asks me how I decide which one is right (conservative), or left (reformist) and she wants me to describe it to her. And If don't bring the papers, she complains. It is very interesting.

Holly: Can you explain what is covered in this issue of the magazine?

SH: We focused on love between youth. We can't say that love is forbidden and we can't limit too much the relationship between girls and boys, so the only thing that we could do is to offer a positive (correct) direction for healthy relationships.

Holly: And what is temporary marriage?

SH: Temporary marriage actually is designed for people who can't get married permanently for whatever reasons. Some young people can't have permanent marriages because of economic problems. Some women who have already been married once and are divorced or widowed prefer to have a short time relationship instead of permanent marriage. A group in Iran believes that if we want more freedom in relationships between men and women, then the best chance is temporary marriage.

And they believe that temporary marriage can have a variety of dimensions. One of them is that men and women can associate with each other freely when they haven't reached the condition of permanent marriage. Another positive aspect would be that the ceremonies and formalities that exist in Iran, which are sometimes is so terrifying, are gradually eliminated. So boys and girls who have just graduated from school can live together in a simple home and work together to make money to manage their life.

Also temporary marriage would break the taboo against girls having any relations with another man before permanent marriage. But one concern about this is that they (couples) may have children that they don't want. There is no system to take care of such children. Another concern for the families is that when a girl ends up having a child, the man doesn't want to stay with her for the rest of his life. One response is to pass a law to permit single parenthood in Iran.

Holly: Are you free to print what you want?

SH: In any publication, some articles on sensitive subjects may be against the law and the publications may be shut down. But in my opinion, the freedom in Iranian press is totally different from in the past, and I think the press has much more freedom. Last year, many papers were shut down, but many others were published instead.

Holly: From the perspective of the Westerners, what you have done is an almost impossible task.

SH: From what perspective is it impossible?

Holly: They say the publishing of a magazine only for women is an impossible task and they have the perspective that women in Iran are very limited and it makes them think.

SH: I think they are somewhat right. Journalism in the in the developing countries is like a tightrope act: if you put your foot one millimeter to one side or the other you fall down — never mind publishing a magazine only for women.

I think we can raise many of the issues in the newspapers and publications but only if we know how to present it so we can say what we want and not cross any existing lines and sensitivities in society. This is an art form for a journalist.

There are many times when my writers or readers ask me to put something in the magazine and I sit down and measure the costs and the benefits of printing something. Sometimes you print something that is of extreme value, meaning that it has a very positive impact on the reader and that one piece does great work in society. I may decide to do that even if it leads to the closure of the magazine. But there are many times that when one measures the costs and benefits and one may see that it may not be worth causing problems for a 10-year-old publication that may live for another 10 years and thus skips the piece.

Holly: Why do you think that Zanan has survived?

SH: One reason is that Zanan is a women's magazine and is not a political magazine. The magazines and newspapers that were closed down may have had a strong political side, and in dealing with political issues of the day they ended up with problems. I prefer for Zanan magazine to remain a trade and women's magazine that can solve women's problems that are not necessarily political.

Holly: Do you think that you are a role model for Iranian women?

SS: No there are many better role models that me…

In any case, I think that there are groups in the world that have an interest in all the women who are doing different things in Iran, or follow them, but I think I'm just a journalist and I don't do anything special other than that we have gathered a group here that are all working together for women.

Holly: What are your fears?

SS: One of my fears is for whatever reason to lose Zanan magazine. That is like one of my children. Another concern is economical problems — we have many economical issues, and some nights I can't sleep and I'm up all night sitting there with a calculator punching in numbers to see whether we can pay the salaries this month and buy paper or not.

And another concern is the political problems that exist in society and may spread to our magazine too and I wouldn't want that to happen.

And another is that we get to a point that we won't be able to work well and our readers would no longer want us.

Holly: And in what areas are you very positive?

SS: My hope is that Zanan becomes better known in our society each day, because still when we talk to many women they unfortunately don't know our magazine.

And in relation to the effort that is made for each issue of the magazine to come out, it doesn't have the response that we expect. Meaning that many times we see Iranian women pay a lot for the latest outfit that comes to the market, but the annual subscription fees of the magazine or the cover price seems too expensive for them.

Holly: What problems are you faced with at work?

SS: There were cases against me in regards to the Berlin festival that in reality were the same accusations made against all participants, and after the trial the ruling issued against me was a four month jail sentence and two million tomans in fines. It is being appealed right now. They are the same accusations made against all participants: Participation in the conference and propaganda against the Islamic republic.

Holly: What has happened with the four-month prison term?

SS: We have appealed it so the appeal court can overturn it.

Holly: It is not clear yet?

SS: They haven't ruled yet.

And then there is another case against me from the Berlin Conference that has been raised again recently. In Berlin in response to a question by a member of the audience that had asked about the Islamic dress code I had said that I'm against a forced Islamic dress code and believe that the hejab (Islamic dress code) should be established through propagation and encouragement.

The charge against me here is that I have rejected and denied hejab while I myself observe the dress code and have not rejected it.

But believe that I had only stated my opinion on the method of establishing the dress code and it was that it would be better done through encouragement.