Rage against the veil

About “Rage against the veil”

Dr. Homa Darabi was a renowned child psychiatrist in Iran who also held a medical license in forty-nine U.S. states. She was the first Iranian to be accepted by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and founded the first clinic in Iran for children with mental disorders. She taught at the University of Tehran and ran a private practice. However, she faced a society that undervalued women's rights. She opposed the hijab laws imposed under Khomeini, which required women to cover their bodies and limited their freedoms. Women could not serve as judges, travel, work, or attend college without a man's permission, and men could divorce without informing their wives. Dr. Darabi fought against these injustices but was unable to overcome the obstacles, including a dismissive husband and a government that ignored her. She died by suicide in a public square in Tehran. Her sister, Parvin Darabi, and her son, Romin P. Thomson, wrote about her life.