Woman, life, freedom
I wrote a blog last year called ‘Be Brave’, highlighting examples past and present of bravery by both men and women. Reading the reports over the weekend of the current demonstrations in Iran has given a new dimension to the concept.
Since 1979 wearing of the hijab when out of doors is compulsory in Iran. It is not simply a question of covering one’s head, but on the streets there are teams of ‘morality police’, known as the Guidance Patrol, whose sole function is to ensure women are ‘correctly’ dressed. Hence the concept of ‘good hijab’ and ‘bad hijab’. The latter can simply be a matter of a stray hair or two poking out from the head covering.
Mahsa Amini – also known as Jina – was a 22-year-old Iranian Kurd who was visiting the capital Teheran with her family. She had just been admitted to university to study law. She was not politically active She was arrested by Guidance Patrol officers around 6 p.m. on September 13 while she was with her brother. He protested at this and was told that she was being transferred to the detention centre for a ‘briefing class’ and would be released in an hour. She was taken away in a Guidance Patrol vehicle. Eyewitnesses reported that she was beaten in the vehicle and in the detention centre.
Two hours after Amini’s arrest and transfer she was admitted to the intensive care unit of Kasra Hospital. While her brother was waiting for her in front of the detention centre building, he saw an ambulance leaving the building. He asked one of the soldiers about the cause of the ambulance leaving the building and was told that ‘one of the soldiers was injured.’ After showing his sister’s photo to other girls released from the detention centre, he discovered that the ambulance was carrying his sister. Amini died 3 days later at the hospital from her injuries, with the authorities insisting that her death was due to poor health, which her family vehemently denies.
This cold-blooded murder of a young woman with everything to look forward to has sparked demonstrations across Iran. Over the weekend there were protests in dozens of cities across the country with hundreds of high-school girls and university students participating in the face of teargas, clubs, and, in many cases, live ammunition by the security forces, according to independent report.
An Oslo-based Kurdish human rights group Is reporting that 18 minors have been killed in the protests, including a 16-year-old girl who was beaten to death, with the authorities burying her without her parents’ consent. I think back to being 16 and the heady freedom I enjoyed, and simply cannot imagine what these girls and families are going through.
The slogan these young women have adopted is ‘Woman, life, freedom’. They are burning their headscarves and rising up against a regime that is corrupt, autocratic, misogynist and violent, with apparently no limits as to what they are prepared to do to maintain the status quo. It is nothing to do with Islam and religion and all about controlling and subjugating women.
In my view the word ‘bravery’ doesn’t cut it in this case. If you have a better description, please let me know.
It is shocking to read of these atrocities. Bravery certainly doesn’t cut it Barbara.
Thanks for highlighting the story. There should be more media coverage to support such courage and to make us all aware of what life is like for women in other countries.
Absolutely Joyce!
Dame B