Women, Life, Freedom- How can we support the Iranian community in need?
Iranian women holding pictures of Mahsa Amini and removing their hijab in protest of the Iranian government’s strict regulations on hijab.
December 16, 2022
(TW: This article discusses multiple forms of trauma such as physical assault, sexual assault, and violence.)
Women, Life, Freedom. Those are the words chanted from the voices of warriors fighting for their freedom. On September 16, 2022, a 22-year-old Iranian woman named Mahsa Amini died at the hands of Iran’s morality police. According to sources, Amini had been beaten by officers as a result of police brutality. Her official death was ruled as death from multiple organ failure caused by cerebral hypoxia. The official statement from the detention center was that Amini died of a heart attack from an underlying disease; however, Amini’s family argued that their daughter was in perfect health prior to and during her arrest. And the reason for her arrest? Was wearing clothing and hijab that neglected the strict regulations of the Islamic Republic. Her unfortunate death sparked and strengthened the Iranian feminist demonstrations.
This tragedy turn into a widespread outrage that catalyzed nationwide protests and demonstrations. During Amini’s funeral, protesters chanted the words “Women, Life, Freedom” to address the various grievances of Iranian women. In protest, many women in Iran deliberately defy the nation’s hijab laws and cut their hair. Many of the protesters fighting for change have average an age of 16 to 20 years old. Protests and demonstrations have swept through more than 40 Iranian cities including the capital of Iran, Tehran. However, Iranian security forces arrested and murdered protesters. According to the Humanists, the death toll of the Iranian protests has reached over 300, including 40 children. And the number of arrests: over 12,000.
The Iranian voices have grown to an international scale due to social media and online chat rooms. These internet applications allow Iranians to communicate outside the country to express their experiences and perspectives without the persecution of their government. However, in response, the Iranian government shut down the Internet of its 84 million citizens by cutting mobile data, popular social media platforms, and Internet service providers. This censorship made it difficult for the protesters to express what is truly going on in their country. But the few voices and photos that are revealed to the public, galvanized women as well as men to join Iranian women to protest the death of Masha Amini as well as to protecting Iranian women from the government’s strict rules.
The effect of Mahsa Amini has affected women all around the world. And to support women living in the Islamic Republic of Iran in their fight for basic human rights, there are multiple ways in which we can help. A quote from Shaparak Khorsandi, an Iranian-born British author, expressed, “The Iranian regime kills women for trying to live freely. This is not just Iran’s problem, it is the world’s problem.” The first is the properly educate yourself. Because of the censorship and false information communicated by the Iranian government, it is difficult to learn about the factual events occurring in Iran. Therefore, it is important to learn from reputable sources such as Human Rights Watch, UNWomen, etc. There are also activists that voice their experiences such as Masih Alinejad, a campaigner against mandatory hijab, Gissou Nia, a human rights lawyer, and Roya Boroumand, the co-founder of the Abdorrahman Boroumand Center. Second, show your support for Iranian women by attending a protest in your local area or signing on to a petition. Organizations like Middle East Matters hold protests in local areas to join the global rally in solidarity with the protesters in Iran. You can also sign Amnesty International’s active petition to address Iran’s persistent impunity. Petitioners are requesting the establishment of an independent UN institution to examine and hold Iranian authorities accountable for their acts. Third, if you are financially available, is to donate to organizations that support human rights in Iran such as United for Iran, Center for Human Rights in Iran, Abdorrahman Boroumand Center for Human Rights in Iran, and the Human Rights Watch. Remember, that as a community that strives for dignity and equality, we must support human rights for everybody. We must fight as a community, especially because we are an all-girls school, because these heinous acts touch us in the same way that they affect women all over the world. For far too long, we have allowed governments and tyrannical regimes to dictate our rights and autonomies. We must fight for women like Amini, who died because she did not wear a hijab, for women who are denied access to abortion, and for women who are coerced into marriage. This is a battle for women all across the world, and it began long ago, but it must be ended now.
Resources
For Donations:
https://united4iran.org/en/act-now.html
https://www.iranrights.org/
https://fundraise.givesmart.com/form/_TNnXA?vid=vydbp
https://donate.hrw.org/page/114575/donate/1?ea.tracking.id=EA2022MMlb
https://donate.amnestyusa.org/page/114017/donate/1?ea.tracking.id=MRPaidSearchFR2022&supporter.appealCode=W22XXADEVR1P&en_og_source=W22XXADEVR1P&gclid=Cj0KCQjw4omaBhDqARIsADXULuWqHFHQWU536QMlXgdarZHE4FWvq7-esaSb_npWJiFg_lR7NzVBHxMaAqtFEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds
For Petitions:
https://www.amnesty.org/en/petition/end-the-protest-bloodshed-in-iran/
https://www.change.org/p/%D8%A8%D9%87-%D8%A7%D8%B9%D8%AA%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%B6-%D8%A8%D9%87-%D9%82%D8%AA%D9%84-%D9%85%D9%87%D8%B3%D8%A7-%D8%A7%D9%85%DB%8C%D9%86%DB%8C-%D8%A8%D9%BE%DB%8C%D9%88%D9%86%D8%AF%DB%8C%D8%AF-speak-up-against-killing-iranian-women-mahsaamini-%D8%A8%DB%95%D8%B4%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%A8%DB%95-%D9%84%DB%95-%D9%86%D8%A7%DA%95%DB%95%D8%B2%D8%A7%DB%8C%DB%95%D8%AA%DB%8C-%D8%AF%DA%98%DB%8C-%DA%A9%D9%88%D8%B4%D8%AA%D9%86%DB%8C-%D9%85%D9%87%D8%B3%D8%A7-%D8%A7%D9%85%DB%8C%D9%86%DB%8C?source_location=topic_page
Works Cited
“Who Was Mahsa Amini, Whose Death Sparked Iran Protests?” The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com,
Burga, Solcyre. “Here’s How to Support Protesters in Iran.” Time, Time, 9 Oct. 2022, https://time.com/6220894/how-to-help-protesters-iran/.
“Iran Protests: Death Toll Reaches over 300, Including 40 Children.” Humanists UK, https://humanists.uk/2022/11/28/iran-protestsdeath-toll-reaches-over-300-including-40-children/#:~:text=According%20to%20the%20UN%20Human,now%20stand%20at%20over%2012%2C000.
Esfandiari, Golnaz. “Exclusive: Iranian Dissident Journalist Who Disappeared in Turkey Ends up in Custody of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards.” RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty, Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, 29 Nov. 2022, https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-moradi-asylum-deported-turkey/32154152.html.
Press, The Associated. “Iran Acknowledges More than 300 Are Dead from Unrest from Nationwide Protests.” NPR, NPR, 29 Nov. 2022, https://www.npr.org/2022/11/28/1139625631/iran-acknowledges-more-than-300-are-dead-from-unrest-from-nationwide-protests.
Alkhaldi, Celine, and Nadeen Ebrahim. “Grief, Protest and Power: Why Iranian Women Are Cutting Their Hair.” CNN, Cable News Network, 28 Sept. 2022, https://www.cnn.com/2022/09/28/middleeast/iran-hair-cutting-mime-intl.
2022, 23 November. “Pushing Forward: Protesting Women’s Rights Abuses in Iran.” UN Women – Headquarters, 23 Nov. 2022, https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/feature-story/2022/11/pushing-forward-protesting-womens-rights-abuses-in-iran.
Dagres, Holly. “The Protests in Iran Have an Anthem. It’s a Love Letter to Iran.” Atlantic Council, 30 Sept. 2022, https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/iransource/the-protests-in-iran-have-an-anthem-its-a-love-letter-to-iran/.