Bad Jens

Founded in March 2000, Bad Jens is an online journal about gender issues in Iran that is mainly intended for readers outside Iran. It serves as a sketchbook of ideas and suggestions, with the content and number of editions per year shaped by readers' comments and contributions. The journal features interviews, articles, editorials, translations, and the latest news and developments within Iran. Bad Jens' coverage of women's issues spans a range of issues such as social and political activism, legal and legislative reform, fine arts, cinema, sexual violence, and education. It also provides lists of publications by or about women, as well as information about women's non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in Iran.

Bad Jens is designed to be a step toward improving links between activists and academics inside and outside of Iran. This goal is premised on the observation that "intellectual and cultural exchanges between Iran and its neighbors are few and far between - especially regarding women's activities." The magazine "was founded on the belief that Western media portrayals of Iranian women and Iran, in general, are misrepresented and grossly oversimplified, and that they often reveal more about the portrayers' beliefs and prejudices than they do about Iranian women." Bad Jens seeks to offer alternative representations by enhancing women's visibility and providing an independent space where they can voice assertive and critical stands to an international audience.

The name of the newsletter draws on the word 'Jens', meaning gender, nature, type; the term 'badjens' may be translated as "sly".