JK Rowling shares post saying 'Iranians are rejecting Islam'
Prominent British novelist JK Rowling has shared a post on X saying that "Iranians are rejecting Islam", describing protesters in the country as the "light in what lately has felt like a very dark world".
Rowling, the billionaire author of the internationally bestselling Harry Potter novels, shared a post on Thursday by Canadian activist Goldie Ghamari stating that the "Lion of Iran has awakened".
The post, which included a video of Iranians marching in protest, said: "Iranians are rejecting Islam, the Islamic Republic, and Sharia Law en masse."
Rowling commented: "The bravery of these people is astounding. They're light in what lately has felt like a very dark world."
Her post had received over four million views at the time of publication.
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Rowling declined to comment further in response to a request by Middle East Eye.
The bravery of these people is astounding. They're light in what lately has felt like a very dark world. https://t.co/el4aTsMo8d
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) January 8, 2026
Protests in Iran are raging across dozens of cities, stoking the most serious unrest in the country since the Women, Life, Freedom movement in 2022-23.
The demonstrations began as strikes over spiralling prices and a currency that has plunged to historic lows, but have since grown into a broader expression of discontent with the Iranian government.
In the replies to Rowling's post, an X user told her that "every single Iranian I know in Iran has read your books both in English and Farsi translation".
Rowling responded: "Maybe one day I'll be able to come and do an event in Iran? What a wonderful thing that would be."
Criticism over silence on Gaza
Rowling has often commented on social and political issues around the world, most extensively on debates on women's rights and gender identity.
She has been widely criticised for not condemning Israel over its genocide in Gaza.
In July 2025, journalist Owen Jones wrote an article asking: "Why is JK Rowling, who presents herself as a champion of women’s rights, silent on the mass slaughter, maiming, torture, abuse, dispossession, bereavement, sexual assault and rape of Palestinian women?"
In October, she shared a column in The Spectator condemning pro-Palestinian demonstrators in Britain for protesting against the genocide shortly after a deadly antisemitic attack in Manchester.
Although the ongoing demonstrations in Iran have been smaller than the uprising that followed Mahsa Amini’s death at the hands of the so-called "morality police" in 2022, their geographic reach and intensity have alarmed the authorities.
Security forces have cracked down on the protests, using firearms and teargas in some areas, leading to violent clashes with demonstrators.
In some western provinces, clashes between protesters and security forces have been particularly fierce.
Rights groups monitoring the unrest say clashes have killed dozens, with estimates ranging from about 25 to 38 deaths so far, including minors. Thousands are said to have been detained.
Iranian officials have acknowledged public discontent while denouncing what they claim is unrest orchestrated by foreign enemies.
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