One of the few safe and legal leisure activities for Iranian women is the hookah. Hookah smoking has been a long-standing tradition of Iranians, somewhat diminished by the rise in popularity of cigarettes. However, since the Islamic Revolution of 1979 in Iran, hookah smoking has surfaced anew. A significant characteristic of smoking hookah is that it need not be enjoyed discretely, and that women are equally able to smoke should they wish to do so. Darband, the beautiful area in northern Tehran near the Alborz mountains, is not only a popular hiking trail, but also a favorite place to hang out, where juicy kabob with basil and onions is served with doogh (a Persian yogurt drink), sometimes accompanied by hookah. But some believe it is at times smoked in excess.
A bonus benefit of smoking hookah is that men and women alike are allowed to participate together. That is, until now. A recent suggestion to ban women from hookah smoking — under the pretext that it poses a greater health hazard to women than it does to men — has sparked controversy in Iran.
Proponents of the proposed ban say that "recent research" points to a higher vulnerability in females when it comes to hookah smoking's side effects. While medical research proves that smoking hookah is as dangerous as smoking any other form of tobacco, it does not suggest gender-specific effects other than the risks posed to a pregnant woman’s fetus.
