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D. In the Islamic Republic of Iran, a religious cleric called “supreme leader” holds far more power than any elected official. Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei issues decrees and makes the final decisions on the economy, environment, foreign policy, education and everything else in the country.
A. Women in Afghanistan have faced severe treatment since last year’s takeover by the fundamentalist Islamic Taliban. Religious police have beaten women in the streets as females were barred from education and many jobs. The so-called “theo-monarchy” of Saudi Arabia also is listed as authoritarian, but it ranked slightly higher on the 2021 Democracy Index than its arch rival Iran.
D. With a population of about 8.7 million, Tehran is Iran’s largest city as well as its capital. Masha Amini, 22, was arrested by morality police as she left the subway in Tehran. Authorities say she suffered a heart attack while in custody, but activists claim she had been beaten.
D. It is estimated there are 14 million to 20 million Kurds in Turkey; 8-12 million in Iran; 5-8.5 million in Iraq; and 2-3.6 million in Syria. Kurds are the largest minority in Turkey, and there is a long history of conflict between the Turkish and Kurdish populations. The words "Kurds", "Kurdistan", or "Kurdish” were officially banned by Turkey’s government. But, there are strong ethnolinguistic and cultural ties between Kurds, Persians and others as Iranian peoples.