Image Alternative Text: The poster depicts a photo of people on their way to the memorial of 22-year-old Kurdish Iranian woman, Jina Mahsa Amini, in the Aychi cemetery in Saqqez, northwestern Kurdistan province, on October 26, 2022. The poster is via Jalz.
Written by:
Sanaz Shahi, Ph.D. Candidate in Education at Rowan University and Administrative and Database Specialist, Office of Technology Commercialization (OTC) at Rowan University;
Gabby McAllaster, Ph.D. Candidate in Education at Rowan University and Doctoral Graduate Coordinator, Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) at Rowan University; and
Patricia Fortunato, Content and Program Manager, Clinical Research and Grants, NeuroMusculoskeletal Institute (NMI), Rowan–Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine (Rowan–Virtua SOM), Southern New Jersey Medication for Addiction Treatment Center of Excellence (MATCOE)
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Women, Life, Freedom at Rowan University
Rowan University's Diversity in Action (DIA) Committee in the College of Education (COE) recently hosted the "Women, Life, Freedom" campus event to discuss current events in Iran. Thank you to the DIA for organizing the event and to Zeynep I. Ercan, Ph.D., Department Chair and Associate Professor, Department of Interdisciplinary and Inclusive Education (IIE) and Ph.D. Candidate, Sanaz Shahi, for sharing their knowledge and perspectives about the events in Iran and advocating for global feminist equity.
Image Alternative Text: Dr. Zeynep Ercan and Sanaz Shahi, panelists for the Women, Life, Freedom event at Rowan University.
As the panelists at the event reminded us, patriarchy is a global issue and threatens equity for all minoritized individuals, including women and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning, intersex, and asexual/aromantic/agender (LGBTQIA+) people. It is critically important to recognize that multiple forms of oppression are globally perpetuated and intersecting and complex ways. In other words, gender inequities are intertwined with other forms of oppression, such as racism, xenophobia, ableism, and classism, which take place in most countries globally, including here in the United States.
Below, we share information about the current events in Iran and offer some ways to support Iranian women and promote human rights and democracy in Iran. We also provide educational resources for continued learning.
What is happening in Iran?
Iranian women have been at the forefront of widespread international protests demanding human rights and democracy. In Iran, women must comply with the Islamic regime's mandatory hijab laws from the onset of puberty and often face oppressive and discriminatory experiences in regard to marriage, divorce, custody, inheritance, and more. This past fall, following the tragic death of a 22-year-old Kurdish Iranian woman, Jina Mahsa Amini, who was arrested and violently beaten by the Guidance Patrol (vice squad/Islamic religious police) for wearing a hijab that they deemed "inappropriate" and did not "properly" cover her hair, protestors in Iran and across the world have demanded basic human rights for women. The Iran protests have led to hundreds of deaths and thousands of injuries at the hands of the government. Further, to prevent the world from witnessing the anti-government movement, a majority of the population in Iran has been cut off from Internet services, including access to Google, Instagram, and WhatsApp, all important public outlets for reading and sharing information and documentation of police brutality.
What are the origins of the "Women, Life, Freedom" slogan?
According to Le Monde, the slogan possibly came to fruition in April of 2013 in Ankara, Turkey, during a meeting with the women's branch of the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP), a Kurdish political party in Turkey integrated with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). Abdullah Öcalan, a founding member of the PKK and incarcerated in Turkey since 1999, had called for the suspension of hostility between the Erdogan government and separatist guerrilla groups. The ceasefire and peace process enabled the BDP to expand in Turkey and advance its feminist initiatives.
Recommended further reading:
Hamad, S., Chiocchia, W. Jin – Jiyan – Azadi: Women, Life, Freedom. LensCulture.
Ways to Support Iranian Women and Promote Human Rights and Democracy in Iran
Amplify the voices of Iranian women.
- Post and share information from trusted Iranian journalists, activists, and organizations. However, take extreme care when sharing photos and videos of protests in Iran—be sure that the faces of protestors are blurred or pixelated as governmental authorities use media to identify and detain protestors.
- Follow @middleeastmatters on Instagram, a youth-led organization founded by Bahar Ghandehari, a human rights activist and student of government and journalism at Georgetown University.
Act in solidarity with Iranian women and promote human rights and democracy in Iran.
- Attend or organize local protests.
- Supporters in the US can contact the United States Congress to vocalize support of the Iran Protests. Citizens can contact their local elected representatives through email or by calling their official's office. Find out who your elected official is by visiting house.gov/representatives and senate.gov.
- Sign the "Woman, Life, Freedom" petition, which seeks to tackle the ongoing impunity in Iran. Petitions are asking for the United Nations member states to immediately remove the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) from the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW).
Donate and follow press freedom and human rights organizations to support Iranian women and protestors on the frontlines.
- Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), documenting the names of journalists arrested by Iranian authorities since the 2021 Prison Census
- Reporters Without Borders (RSF), documenting human rights abuses in Iran in real time.
- The Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI), a nonpartisan group working to protect and promote human rights
- Abdorrahman Boroumand Center (ABC), a non-governmental organization, committed to securing the rights of all victims of human rights violations and offers documentation and publications to restore dignity to Iran's populations.
- Masih Alinejad, an exiled Iranian women's rights activist who is leading a campaign against the compulsory hijab.
- Tooseh App and Snowflake by the Tor Project to bypass censorship in Iran.
- United for Iran, advancing civil liberties in Iran and advocating for human rights.
Rowan University Community of Support
- For all student complaints involving discrimination and harassment, please visit go.rowan.edu/titlevi
- Wellness Center: All Rowan University students are encouraged to access mental health resources and support through the Wellness Center by calling 856.256.4333 or emailing wellnesscenter@rowan.edu
- Employee Advisory Service (EAS): All Rowan University faculty and staff are encouraged to access mental health resources and support by contacting the EAS. Schedule a session by calling 1.866.327.9133
Image Alternative Text: The first photo depicts an audience member, Dr. Kate Kedley, Dr. Susan Browne, and Sanaz Shahi after the event. The second photo depicts Sanaz Shahi and Dr. Zeynep Ercan, panelists for the Women, Life, Freedom event at Rowan University.
Resources for Continued Learning
Websites:
- Iranian Diaspora Collective, a nonpartisan and multi-faith group offering advocacy resources; materials to share across social media; and a working, living shared document containing the most recent headlines and talking points surrounding Iran
- Woman, Life, Freedom, a combined global collective consisting of Vital Voices, For Freedoms, and a global coalition of Iranian women leaders and allies offering advocacy resources and materials to share across social media
- Amnesty International, a global movement focused on human rights and offering extensive reports on human rights violations, news articles, and ways to take action
Books:
- Ghahramani, Z., & Hillman, R. (2009). My Life as a Traitor. A&C Black.
- Satrapi, M. (2003). Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood. Pantheon Books.
Films:
- Rezvany, R. (2022). Women, Life, Freedom. Vogue.
- Soozandeh, Al. (2017). Tehran Taboo.
- Nowrasteh, C. (2009). The Stoning of Soraya M.
- Satrapi, M. (2003). Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood. Sony Pictures.
Social Media:
- @ajplus, a digital news and storytelling project promoting human rights
- @pressfreedom, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), promoting press freedom worldwide
- @CPJMENA, the CPJ Middle East and North Africa (MENA) program, promoting press freedom
- @RSF_inter, Reporters sans frontières (Reporters Without Borders), promoting press freedom worldwide
- @AlinejadMasih, an Iranian journalist and human rights activist
- @esmaeilion, an Iranian Canadian social activist, writer, and dentist
- @NazaninBoniadi, an Iranian British actor and human rights activist
- @phillyiran, Iranians and allies in the Philadelphia area organizing for human rights for Iranian women and marginalized people
- @innerjalz, a Persian poster designer
- @ghazalforroutan, an Iranian educator and designer
- @sahar_ghorishi.x, an Iranian artist
- @journeyoftodawn, short films and content for Iranian society
- @daarafsh, an Iranian visual storyteller
- @atieh.sohrabi, an Iranian illustrator
- @collectiveforblackiranians, an initiative "proposing an Iranian culture that stands fully at its Black and African intersections"