Feminism, as we know it, is dead
Along with the 14,000 women, men, children in Iran who are facing the death penalty for fighting for their basic rights as a woman.
You may have seen adhoc posts on social media related to the incidents taking place in Iran at the moment, where protests erupted, after 22 year old Mahsa Amini died in custody having been arrested and beaten by Iran’s morality police. The morality police, is a vice squad/Islamic religious police in the Law Enforcement Command of Islamic Republic of Iran, established in 2005 with the task of arresting people who violate the Islamic dress code, usually concerning the wearing by women of hijabs covering their hair. In this case, Mahsa was arrested for not wearing the hijab in accordance with government standards.
Now I say you may have seen adhoc social media posts, because the coverage on news channels has been outrageously non-existence. Maybe wrapped into the coverage of Matt Hancock on I’m a celebrity.
But it is more important than ever for this story not to be buried—not to be lost. And it’s not only the responsibility of diaspora Iranians to do this. This is a fight of feminism at its core. And yet, where are all the feminists?
Definition of Feminism: An organized effort to give women the same economic, social, and political rights as men (Reference).
This is a story of life and death for those protesting in Iran, fighting the fundamentals of human rights, literally fighting for feminism. And yet, those usually shouting misandry louder than ever have suddenly disappeared or are still only laser focussed on those boardroom doors.
FEMINISM IS WELL AS TRULY DEAD.
As you may have gaged, I don’t label myself a ‘feminist’ as I see more value in action over word. And usually, I’m the one outraged by keyboard warriors sharing words of sexism and slur, rather than solutions.
But today, the action is to take to social media. The action is to write. The action is to share. The action is to hold the fire so fucking high that the light still shines on Iran, so we can see the innocent deaths caused at the hands of men hiding behind extreme interpretation of religion, and we can ask the world to take action to protect our women, our men, our children.
THIS IS FEMINISM.
Now this is what you can do to help (From Global Citizen, 2022)
1. Write to your MP asking them to support Iranian women’s rights publicly.
2. Donate to our support human rights organisations
3. Join protests
4. Follow social media accounts
5. Share information and posts on protests
6. Read book about the history of women’s rights in Iran
7. Attend events where you learn more about oppressed communities
8. Take action
9. Keep raising your voice
Read more about what you can do here: https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/jina-mahsa-amini-death-what-to-do/
Inshallah.
Image courtesy of BBC (Oct 2022)
