International Women's Day Talk: Women's Revolution in Iran

This year, I was invited to give a talk about women in Iran and the middle east on International Women's day as part of the Women Employee Network (WEN) annual summit at work. Here is the text of my talk, which came with a PowerPoint presentation (not included here). My talk came with a disclaimer that I was not a historian. I used various websites, including Wikipedia, as references.

On this momentous day, I want to talk about courageous women of the middle east risking their lives for their fundamental human rights and equality. When WEN colleagues reached out to me a couple of months ago, all I thought about was how I could shed some light on the recent events and use this incredible opportunity to bring awareness to this prominent movement currently happening across the globe.

I want to talk about the Iranian uprising, which started in September last year. Iranians are risking their lives and freedom to stand up to their government, and their courageous resistance to government crackdown has sparked hope among many that change is coming. As the protests have spread, young women, even high-school and middle-school students, have ripped off their headscarves and cried, "Death to the dictator!" If you follow the news, you might have seen images of Iranian youth in the street putting themselves in front of gunfire. But, before jumping into all that, I thought to give an overview of the middle east and Iran and some background information and modern historical context.?

Where is the Middle East?

The Middle East is the land around the southern and eastern shores of the Mediterranean Sea, encompassing at least the Arabian Peninsula and, by some definitions, Iran, North Africa, and sometimes beyond.?

Economically, the Middle East is known for its?vast oil reserves. It is also the home of three major world religions: Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. But, for most of the world, the Middle East is known for?its food, as a center of religion, and for its often-troubled recent history.?

Today's primary languages of the Middle East are Arabic, Hebrew, Kurdish, Persian, Turkish, and Pashto. Arabic has a unique place amongst the writing systems due to its place in Islam and Islam's impact on the region. Therefore, many of these languages use or have used Arabic script in the past as their writing system.?

Persian language, my mother tongue, belongs to the Indo-European languages. Therefore, its grammar is similar to that of many European languages. Persian is spoken and used officially within Iran, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan.?

When you look at Persian and Arabic script, someone who doesn't know either language will think they look the same. This is because modern Persian is written in the Perso-Arabic script, which is the Arabic script but with slight pronunciation modifications and a few extra letters.?

Where is Iran?

Iran,?also called?Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is the 17th-largest country in the world. Iran has an estimated population of 87 million, making it the 17th-most populous country in the world. The country is home to one of the world's oldest civilizations.

Iran's climate is diverse, ranging from arid and semi-arid to subtropical. It might surprise many, but Iran is a gold mine for ski touring! It is a mountain country with more than a hundred peaks over 4000m.?

Iranian/Islamic Revolution of 1979:

Iran's history is thousands of years, but I want to focus on the post-1979 revolution. This revolution replaced the Imperial State of Iran with the present-day Islamic Republic of Iran. Why and how this revolution was successful is a matter of debate and a mystery to many because it lacked many customary causes of revolutionary sentiments, such as defeat in war, a financial crisis, peasant rebellion, or a disgruntled military.

Even though the Islamic group eventually took over, to enable its initial success, every group was involved, including very leftist groups such as Marxists. Women were very much involved in the success of the revolution. Different groups of women actively participated alongside their male counterparts through marches, demonstrations, and chanting slogans. Many women were instrumental not only in being involved in the revolution themselves but in mobilizing men and other non-political women. Many women protested while carrying children. Their presence was one of the main reasons for disarming soldiers (who were there on behalf of the previous regime) who were ordered to shoot if necessary.

Iranian protests against compulsory Hijab, 1979 International Women's Day protests in Tehran:

The Islamic Revolution Committee, later called morality police, was formed right after the revolution for enforcing Islamic regulations and moral standards on social behavior. This group or organization directly reported to Khomeini and now Khamenei, known as Iran's supreme leaders. Just a few weeks after the new regime was formed, Khomeini announced that women should observe the Islamic dress code.

In March 1979 , urban Iranian women and girls and their male supporters participated in a week of demonstrations in Tehran, beginning on International Women's Day, to protest the new Islamist regime's verdict compelling women to wear Hijab. The demonstrators expressed a deep sense of betrayal at the direction the Iranian revolution took, then just weeks old. "In the dawn of freedom, we have no freedom," they chanted. Their ranks grew by the day, reaching at least 50,000. The movement attracted international solidarity. The protests resulted in government assurances that the statement was only a recommendation.?

However, unfortunately, Hijab was made mandatory in government and public offices in 1980. In 1983, it became compulsory for all women after the left and the liberals were eliminated, and the conservatives secured solitary control. Over the next few decades, the Iranian feminist movement seemed to die, or at least go underground.

Morality police, nowadays, are visible in many streets of Iran, enforcing the Islamic dress code, such as ensuring women in the country wear Hijab. Under Article 683 of Iran's Islamic Penal Code, the penalty for a woman not wearing the Hijab consists of imprisonment from 10 days to two months and a significant fine. Violators may also be lashed up to 74 times.

The aftermath of the revolution:

Between June 1981 and March 1982, the theocratic regime carried out the largest political massacre in Iranian history, targeting communists, socialists, social democrats, liberals, monarchists, moderate Islamists, and members of the Baha'i faith as part of the Iranian Cultural Revolution decreed by Khomeini on June 14, 1980, with the intent of "purifying" Iranian society of non-Islamic elements. Between June 1981 and June 1982, Amnesty International documented 2,946 executions. Most victims of the 1981 massacre were young activists aged eleven to twenty-four.?

The?Cultural Revolution (1980–1983) was a period following the?Iranian Revolution when the academia of Iran was purged of Western and non-Islamic influences (including traditionalist unpolitical Islamic doctrines) to align them with revolutionary and?political Islam.?As a result, many educated people, progressives, and elites, who had the means, left Iran and never came back.

Iran–Iraq War (September 1980 to August 1988):

Another impactful hindrance to any liberal success and women's rights movement after the revolution was the start of a gruesome war with Iraq that lasted eight long years. It started with the invasion of Iran by Iraqi forces. For the first 2-3 years, Iran was fighting back to free the parts of Iran taken by Iraqi forces. However, Iran did not want to stop the war after that. Khomeini and his followers thought they could take over Iraq and form a large Shie government. Iranian government saw the outbreak of war as a chance to strengthen its position and consolidate the Islamic revolution, noting that government propaganda presented it domestically as a glorious?jihad?and a test of Iranian national character. Therefore, the Iranian regime followed a policy of total war from the beginning and attempted to mobilize the nation.

To further help finance the war, the Iranian government banned the import of all non-essential items and launched a significant effort to rebuild the damaged oil plants. I was born during the war and remember the missile attacks on Tehran. There were days that I was watching TV, and then the screen would change and give a missile attack warning, and the whole family would run to the basement and other safe places. I also remember having simple toys was a luxury since the toys and dolls were counted as non-essential items.

Women of Iran after the revolution:

Despite much discrimination, women were allowed to continue their education and attend school. As of 2020, the literacy rate of women in Iran was 85.5 percent. The literacy rate of men in Iran was slightly lower at about 80.8 percent that year. Though education has been dominated in many fields by females, especially at the university level, it has yet to enable women to enter the workforce in comparative numbers. Whereas 23.5 million men held paid jobs in the Iranian economy in 2006, for instance, merely 3.5 million women obtained similar positions.

The increase in educational opportunities has also not correlated with an increase in educated women entering decision-making positions in government or the private economy. Women are mainly absent from high-level full-time professorship positions or as heads of higher education institutions. I know some brilliant female classmates in Iran who are now housewives because they could not find a job, while some men I know in relatives who were awful in school now have very well-paid positions.?

Hijab rules apply to young schoolgirls, who must wear the head covering to attend elementary school. You can see my school pictures here (not included in this article). The regime was trying to brainwash us. You can see how we sang for the portrait of Khomeini on the right. I genuinely feel outraged looking at these images.

But it's not just about the Hijab. The laws introduced after the revolution established institutionalized discrimination, women's life is valued at half of that of a man, women's testimony is valued at half of that of a man, and women have lost the right to divorce and the right to the custody of their children. In addition, employers can put public job postings and add "only men." Imagine something like that happening these days in the US or other democratic countries.

Intersectionality in Iran:

If you are a woman and another type of minority, your life is much more difficult. If you have a disability, if you are a religious or ethnic minority, or if you identify as LGBTQA, you will face many additional restrictions and discrimination.

On the top right, you can see my sister's picture (not included here). She has a severe physical disability, and we saw firsthand how people with disabilities in Iran face discrimination, abuse, and an inaccessible environment. People with disabilities also regularly face stigma and discrimination from government social workers, healthcare workers, and others. Public transportation, roads, and buildings are frequently inaccessible. The laws do not explicitly prohibit discrimination, and employers can include "able-bodied" requirements in job postings, which someone can easily do with a disability. In addition, the government has not allocated sufficient resources to develop a personal assistants system, which can be critical to the independence and equality of many people with disabilities. As a result, many remain trapped in their homes, unable to live independently and participate in society equally.

Under Iranian law, same-sex sexual conduct is a criminal offense, with punishments ranging from flogging to death. Last year, an Iranian court found Zahra Seddiqi Hamedani , who is 31 years old guilty of "corruption on Earth" and sentenced to death. Zahra is accused of promoting homosexuality and Christianity and communicating with media that oppose the Islamic Republic. Amnesty International previously described them as a "gender non-conforming human rights defender" who it said had been detained solely in connection with her real or perceived sexual orientation and gender identity and her social media posts and statements in defense of LGBTQ rights. Before attempting to leave Iran, Zahra recorded a video where she said: "I want you to know how much pressure we LGBT people endure. We risk our lives for our emotions, but we will find our true selves. I hope the day will come when we can all live freely in our country. I am journeying toward freedom now. If I don't make it, I will have given my life for this cause."

2009 Green Movement, Hopes for reform going away:

The first large-scale public protests occurred in 2009, right before I left Iran to come to America as an international student. On June 23, 2009, a spontaneous mass demonstration erupted in Iran against the officially declared victory of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in perhaps the most publicly contested presidential election in the history of the Islamic Republic. On June 25, Iran witnessed a big mass rally against the status quo with the slogan "Where Is My Vote?" which eventually emerged as the defining moment of an uprising that its supporters called the "Green Movement." The Green Movement progressed apace with mass demonstrations and civil disobedience until February 14, 2010, when its attempt to stage a rally in support of the emerging Arab revolutions was brutally suppressed.

The Green Movement was not a revolution in the classic sense of the term – it was not violent or targeted at dismantling the ruling regime. Most people then hoped to reform the government without overthrowing it; however, I believe that's changed now. The current protests are revolutionary and wish to defeat the Islamic regime.

Emigration:

I have been in the US for thirteen years and have not returned to Iran. Getting here took work for me. From the start, every step was a challenge. First, I needed to travel outside Iran for my single entry visa. Then, I did not see my family for five years until they miraculously could also immigrate to the US. After that, I had to go into debt to hire an attorney to get my green card, and since Iran's currency is going down every day due to the incompetence of the Iranian government, I could not rely on my parent's money that much.

Now, I have assimilated, I speak English ninety percent of the time, I have married a European man, and we own two furry sons, my immediate family is here, and I have a good and respectable job. So from the outside, I look privileged and fine. But I go down the spiral of depression every few months after hearing the news of craziness in Iran. I feel some hope for change and then see the dictator regime taking control back and putting my fellow citizens under more pressure. I try to hide it all, especially at work, because I do not want to look weak, unstable, or unprofessional. I have become such an expert in pretending that I even believe I am fine sometimes.

This is the life of many of us, the immigrants from the middle east. The regime has taken our country hostage, and we want it free. We are embarrassed about the government and its brutal rules but proud of our country and its centuries of culture and history. We want our beloved country to be free of religious extremists.?

The killing of Mahsa Amini:

One of the most powerful women in 2022 died unaware of her impact on the world. On September 13, 22-year-old Jina “Mahsa” Amini was arrested by Iran’s morality police for “improperly” wearing her hijab and severely beaten, according to her family and local media. She died three days later while still in police custody.

After reports of the horrific incident emerged (thanks to courageous reporters Niloofar Hamedi and Elahe Mohammadi, also women whom the Iranian regime has since jailed), protests erupted across Iran. These protests were primarily led by women who tore off their hijabs, cut their hair, and adopted a rallying cry of “women, life, freedom.”

What started as an outcry against the regime's treatment of women has evolved into a revolutionary movement calling for regime change, recognized worldwide.?

One main reason Mahsa’s death was significant and caused so much outcry is that she was an ordinary woman to whom thousands could relate. Her face and experience were very intimately and tangibly familiar to every family in Iran because every time their mothers, sisters, and daughters go out of the house, they have been harassed by the morality police, or detained or even beaten. In the past, when we heard stories of people being arrested or killed, the government was quick to connect the person to some political activity, but they could not do that when it came to Mahsa.

Women who lost their lives:

Amini is not the first person to die in the custody of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, nor was she the last.?During the protests that followed, many young women and men, including children, were shot or killed in the street, executed in prison without trial, or died due to mistreatment and torture. According to the Iranian government, around 300 people were killed during the protest. However, human rights activists assume many unreported deaths. A reason for the number discrepancy is that the Iranian regime randomly arrests or kidnaps thousands of people and kills many without a process of law. Instead of handing over their bodies to their relatives, it disappears them. In addition, media research and criminal investigations are forbidden under the dictatorship of Iran. As a result, they are being done illegally and associated with significant risks and dangers for witnesses, investigative journalists, human rights activists, and lawyers.

Here you can see pictures of a few people killed by the regime (not included in this article).?

On the top left, you can see Ghazalrh Cholabi , an Iranian mountaineer and athlete. While Ghazaleh was filming the Iranian people protest against the regime on September 21, 2022, she was shot in the head and killed by a direct sniper rifle shot by an officer of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard. While Ghazaleh was filming, she recorded when the sniper bullet hit her. This video was widely spread on the Internet, social media, and news agencies.

On September 20, 2022, 16-year-old Iranian girl?Nika Shakarami disappeared in Tehran during the protests. Her family was informed of her death ten days later, and her body showed signs of torture and being beaten in the head and face. Her aunt late said Nika's teeth were gone. After her family identified her body, they planned to bury her in Khorramabad. Still, the body was stolen by Iranian authorities and instead buried in another town, reportedly to exercise leverage over her family and to avoid a funeral procession that could cause further protests.

The people of Iran may have to gird themselves for a longer fight, one that could get worse before it gets better.?As of January, the government has executed at least four prisoners over crimes it claims they committed during the demonstrations,?underlining the speed at which Iranian authorities are carrying out the death sentences of detainees.

Final Thoughts:

Finally, I want to honor the memory of?Majid Reza Rahnavard , 23 years old man who was publicly executed in Mashhad. Before the public hanging, he was interviewed on TV and asked what he had written in his will. He replied that he did not want anyone to read the Quran or pray at his grave (a common Islamic tradition). Instead, he said he wanted everyone to be joyful and play and dance to happy music.

The regime had hoped that with this interview, Muslim Iranians get angry at him, but those words made him even a more prominent hero since the criminal government has viewed music, dance, and simple joy as sins for the past forty years.?While my heart is so full of pain and ache, I also feel my sadness is what the regime wants. It has been "enforcing" sadness for forty years.?

I have seen some people around me lose hope about the revolution and regime change. Regime change in Iran is not going to happen overnight. The previous Iranian Revolution took several years. Mullahs will not give up and fly out to another country without putting up a nasty fight. Nevertheless, we should keep hope and faith that we will win in the end! So instead, we should turn our sadness into motivation and remember these three words:?Woman, Life, Freedom!