Support Iranians in their pursuit of Freedom-Part I
On September 13th, 2022, a 22 year old Kurdish woman in Iran named Mahsa (Jhina) Amini was taken into custody by the Islamic Republic of Iran’s (IR Iran) morality police for showing too many strands of hair under her hijab. She died a few days later. Her body showed injuries implicating death by way of police brutality, but the IR Iran alleges she had pre-existing health conditions that contributed to her death.
Her death, paired with the economic stress of sanctions against Iran, high unemployment, the pandemic, and four decades of repression under the IR Iran, have led to uprisings that are unparalleled in nature. These uprisings include people of all socio economic backgrounds, all genders with women leading the protests, and protests have taken place in the majority of Iran’s provinces.
For the first time women are dancing in the street without wearing hijab, women are cutting their hair as a public display of revolt against the mandatory hijab law, and men are supporting them. It is said the government is not in touch with the younger generation of Iranians, and this younger generation does not hold the same level of fear of the government as past generations.
A woman protests in Tehran weeks after the death of Mahsa Amini.
Many Iranian women feel they could have been Mahsa.
To be clear, this is not a protest against Islam or wearing the hijab. This is a protest for human rights, to be able to choose to wear the hijab, for people at large to be able to live more freely without the fear of abusive punishment.
Iranians want an end to the abuse of power
“Woman, Life, Freedom”
Originally a Kurdish rallying cry, has become one of the main slogans chanted in protests. written here in Persian.
As I write this article, today is October 1, 2022—a global day of protest against the IR Iran, and thousands of Iranians are being tortured, killed, and imprisoned for being in public without hijab, for protesting and expressing themselves.
One of them is the young man named Shervin, whose song has become an emblem of these uprisings. He wrote this song based on tweets he received from fellow Iranians about the loss of freedom they experience on a daily basis.
For Shervin, who was arrested after releasing this song on social media.
I will forever remember a quote from one of the young Iranian protestors about whether they feared the government, and their response was “What do I have to be afraid of? I know that we are right.”
In my hometown of Austin, Texas, USA where I dance freely without any fear of being repressed or killed for showing my hair or moving my body in public, and yet where women are still fighting for autonomy of our bodies, my fellow dancers and I offer a message through dance about our experience as women.
We dance for the people of Iran who have not been able to legally dance in public since 1979, with the hope of one day dancing freely together. We learn from the women of Iran to continue to honor our womanhood and stand up for our rights.
Dancers: Geeti, Carisa Leal, April Rose
Stay Informed
Here are a few helpful resources for staying in the know with the latest protests in Iran, compiled by Iranian American journalist Holly Dagres:
Women activists and journalists:
Mahsa Alimardani, researcher and advocate for Article19.org
Roya Boroumand, co-founder of the Abdorrahman Boroumand Center
Jasmin Ramsey, deputy director of the Center for Human Rights in Iran
Azadeh Pourzand, human rights researcher and writer, and director of the Siamak Pourzand Foundation
Gissou Nia, director of the Atlantic Council Strategic Litigation Project
Golnaz Esfandiari, reporter covering Iran for Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty
Masih Alinejad, Iranian journalist and activist
Organizations:
CALL TO ACTION: How to help
There are other ways ordinary people can help such as by contacting their representatives, sharing factually correct news about what’s happening inside Iran, and participating in solidarity protests in their respective cities.
Another way to help is by donating to UK-based and international human rights organizations that focus on Iran, such as Justice for Iran, the Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO), and Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA). The more attention there is on Iran, the more the Islamic Republic is under pressure.