Woman! Life! Freedom!
September 16, 2023 marks the one year anniversary of the death of Mahsa Amini, the 22-year-old Iranian woman who died in the custody of the Iranian morality police for not wearing her hijab properly. Her death sparked a new movement, led by Iranian women, openly calling for their freedom and rights. Although the demonstrations throughout Iran have receded due to a brutal and violent government reaction, Iranian women’s resistance continues.
The philosophy professor Carol Hay reminds us that:
Because sexism probably goes back to the beginnings of human civilization and often functions below the level of conscious awareness, getting rid of patriarchy is going to require more than culling the herd. We need to strategize for the long game[1].
That long game means unity. Women throughout the world must unite in solidarity supporting with each other in the struggle for equality. Strategizing means embracing all women across the globe, regardless of religions, nationality, class, ethnicity, or so-called race. Not all can march, not all can shout, but all can do something.
The new Iranian women’s movement, born in tragedy, is determined to end in triumph. And despite nearly impossible odds, it is a movement with a rich backstory. According to Dr. Farzaneh Milani, the modern women’s movement begins in 1848 when Tahirih, a Babi (subsequently the Baha’i Faith) heroine and scholar, defied tradition by publicly removing her veil and participating in a conference with 80 men. She declared that the time for women’s emancipation was now, and that a marginalized, segregated, hidden life was a thing of the past. In striking such a loud blow for freedom, she was killed at the tender age of 36.
Such tragedies define the struggle for women in Iran and elsewhere. Since 1979, despite significant setbacks, Iranian women continue to show the courage of Tahirih, and Mahsa Amini and so many more who have sacrificed so much. The chant of “Woman! Life! Freedom!” heard on city streets and in far off villages speaks to the ineradicable human desire for life, for truth, for an opportunity to be free. On the anniversary of Mahsa Amini’s death, let us consider our own way, and contemplate how we too, might join in the great struggle for women’s rights.
[1] Carol Hay. 2022. Think Like a Feminist: The Philosophy Behind the Revolution. NY: W. W. Norton and Company.
About the Author:
Professor Hoda Mahmoudi holds the Bahá’í Chair for World Peace at the University of Maryland. Dr. Mahmoudi develops a sound scientific basis for knowledge and strategies that explore the role of social actors and structures in removing obstacles to peace and creating paths to a better world.
For more information about Hoda: Bahá’í Chair for World Peace website.