[6][7] Zanan focused on the concerns of Iranian women with an Islamic point of view and had intentions of protecting and promoting their rights.

[9] In January 2008 the Iranian regime under President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad closed the magazine down for "endangering the spiritual, mental and intellectual health of its readers, and threatening psychological security of the society" claiming it showed women in a "black light.

[11] In September, 2014, Sherkat was charged with publishing pictures of women "considered as objects" - a violation of the censorship laws.

The charges against Sherkat and the magazine's suspension were related to publication of a special issue discussing various aspects of cohabitation, dubbed "white marriage" in Iran - a practice that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has denounced.

[14] The special issue had been picked up by international press and the BBC published an article on the Zanan's coverage and the practice itself.