麻豆社

The Iranian parliament has announced a halt to the implementation of the controversial hijab law after receiving a letter from the country's top security council. Last week an Iranian singer, Parastoo Ahmadi, held an online concert, without an audience, wearing a black dress with bare shoulders and her hair uncovered, in defiance of Iran's strict dress code for women and a ban on women singing in public. Two years ago, one young woman, Mahsa Amini died in police custody after being detained for not wearing a hijab or headscarf properly -- that prompted months of mass protests. Parastoo Ahmadi was arrested and then released. Nahid Siamdoust is an Iranian cultural historian and the author of "Soundtrack of the Revolution: the Politics of Music in Iran". We asked Nahid what she made of Parastoo Ahmadi's performance and if she thought the concert was a deliberate challenge to the Islamic republic.

(Photo: Parastoo Ahmadi - from her online concert)