The hosts of Iran’s first chat show for women have got the regime riled up. Nothing is scarier to the moral police, it seems, than fearless feminists

‘Oops, I did it again,” was Maryam Faghihimani’s reaction when the Iranian regime accused her TV show of the horrible crime of promoting women’s rights. She immediately took to Facebook, explaining to her friends that a state news site had also blurred out her bare arms and legs, to protect their honour. “I am humble and proud of those crimes and sin,” she added, “and will continue my efforts.”

Satellite TV is becoming a powerful way for Iranian women to connect with the wider world. Over 70% of Iranian households have satellites to watch international television, and one of the most popular stations is the London-based Manoto TV. A liberal Persian channel with over three million Facebook followers, Manoto airs reality TV, cooking shows – and now, its first ever women’s talk show, a Middle Eastern version of the American smash-hit The View.

The show – Samte No (which translates as New Direction) – is a huge step forward in a country where YouTube and anti-Islamic websites are blocked and it is banned for women to dance, perform music on stage, ride bikes, watch male sports teams, wear leggings or reject their husband’s sexual advances. “Wearing makeup or even nail polish, you’ll pay a fine,” explains Faghihimani. “Hijab is mandatory and any tight outfits will result in arrest by the moral police.”

Two years ago, producers decided to try and create a new show for women – one that hadn’t ever been done before. They hired two renowned Iranian human rights activists, Faghihimani and Darya Safai, plus two staff hosts, Tina Ghazimorad and Azadeh Shafiee. Like The View, the four sit and chat about women’s issues, welcome guests and share stories about their lives. The first show aired on 23 October 2016 – and it didn’t take long for them to be accused of criminality.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest ‘These women shamelessly motivate other Iranian women to stand for their legal rights’ … from left, Maryam Faghihimani, Tina Ghazimorad, Azadeh Shafiee and Darya Safai. Photograph: Manoto TV

Pro-regime news agencies in Iran say the programme is committing the crime of “promoting women’s rights”. One news story explains that “these women shamelessly motivate other Iranian women to stand for their legal rights and civil rights.” Another state site has accused them of “promoting friendship between the nations of Israelis and Iranians,” because Faghihimani has done diplomatic work in Palestine and Israel with her non-profit, the Center for Cultural Diplomacy and Development.

It’s the first time a TV programme has been attacked by the Iranian regime repeatedly through state media. “Which proves that it’s successful,” Faghihimani tells me. “I always say there is nothing scarier than fearless, independent, successful women for a super-conservative regime.”

Faghihimani, the daughter of a senior ayatollah in Iran, says she is not too shocked considering the topics they tackle. “Basically we cross every taboo the Iranian regime puts on us,” she says. “Women’s rights can only be defined by the frame they want, which is being a second-rate citizen.”

Samte No is certainly breaking new ground for its rebel energy and feminist slant. “We have never had women talking about social, political and legal issues on TV,” she says. “It’s not academic or a celebrity-style talk show – these are serious topics.”

The tone is smart, sober and discussions range from birth control to divorce rights, family law and access to education. “On Facebook, viewers were surprised and complaining, ‘You can’t be experts about everything,’” says Faghihimani. “But if it were four men talking about issues, it’d be OK. People are not used to the structure. We’re trying to be educational.”

Timely news stories are debated, whether it’s an Iranian actress posing for a risque editorial or a viral video of a woman fighting back after being cat-called. They’ve questioned Donald Trump’s misogynistic slurs and shared personal stories of religious guilt, verbal abuse and discrimination. They also compare women’s rights in Iran to other countries. “Sharia and Islamic law says if you fight against them, you are fighting against God,” says Faghihimani. “Unfortunately, we have a lot to discuss.”

Facebook Twitter Pinterest ‘Imagine the daughter of an ayatollah telling Iranian women they should fight for their rights. They hate it!’ … Maryam Faghihimani. Photograph: Manoto TV

They can only feature guests who live outside Iran, such as Roya Mahboob, a tech entrepreneur who provides internet access for women in Afghanistan – and has been voted one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world. “If a woman comes on our show, they’ll have trouble when they go back home,” says Faghihimani. “They’ll be labelled a threat to the regime, accused of being spies and promoting indecency.”

Manoto TV is used to irking the Iranian government – one of their cooking competitions showed women drinking cocktails, and there have been reports of their signal being jammed. But nothing before has been on the scale of the media attack on Samte No. “Imagine a daughter of an ayatollah dressing in a liberal fashion telling women they should fight for their rights,” says Faghihimani. “They hate it! But it’s important we don’t make it ‘us versus them,’ because if we are not united, our problems are still the same. Dictators divide and rule.”

Safai, who was arrested in Tehran for participating in a student protest in 1999, fled the country when she was temporarily let out on bail. She travelled to Belgium through Turkey and in 2014 founded the group Let Iranian Women Enter Their Stadiums. “Some women disguise themselves as men to go inside and watch sports,” she explains. “Why is this happening in the 21st century?”

All the women have grown up facing discriminations like these. “The republic of Iran says we are attacking men – they are trying to make us look bad,” says Safai. “A lot of men in Iran understand what we are talking about. It’s not about hating men – it’s about fighting for equality.”