Monday, January 30, 2023
  • English
  • Français
  • فارسی
  • عربى
PODCASTS
NCRI Women Committee
  • Home
  • News
    • Women’s News
    • Articles
    • Statements
  • Publications
    • Monthlies
    • Documents
    • Reference Library
  • About Us
    • Women’s Committee of Iran NCRI
    • Gender Equality
    • Women’s Platform
  • Maryam Rajavi
    • Biography
    • Maryam Rajavi Speeches
    • Ten Point Plan for Iran
    • Ten Point Plan for Women
  • Vanguards
    • Fallen for Freedom
    • Heroines in Chain
    • Women of Iranian Resistance
    • Famous Women
    • Women in History
  • Events
    • IWD Conferences
    • IWD Speeches
    • Activities
    • Solidarity
  • Videos
    • Events
    • International Solidarity
    • International Women’s Day
    • NCRI Women’s Committee Presentations
    • Other Activities in Iran
    • Violence Against Women in Iran
    • Women in Iran Protests, Uprising
  • Podcast
  • Donate
  • Contact us
No Result
View All Result
NCRI Women Committee
  • Home
  • News
    • Women’s News
    • Articles
    • Statements
  • Publications
    • Monthlies
    • Documents
    • Reference Library
  • About Us
    • Women’s Committee of Iran NCRI
    • Gender Equality
    • Women’s Platform
  • Maryam Rajavi
    • Biography
    • Maryam Rajavi Speeches
    • Ten Point Plan for Iran
    • Ten Point Plan for Women
  • Vanguards
    • Fallen for Freedom
    • Heroines in Chain
    • Women of Iranian Resistance
    • Famous Women
    • Women in History
  • Events
    • IWD Conferences
    • IWD Speeches
    • Activities
    • Solidarity
  • Videos
    • Events
    • International Solidarity
    • International Women’s Day
    • NCRI Women’s Committee Presentations
    • Other Activities in Iran
    • Violence Against Women in Iran
    • Women in Iran Protests, Uprising
  • Podcast
  • Donate
  • Contact us
No Result
View All Result
NCRI Women Committee
No Result
View All Result
Home Activities
Iceland's centennial suffrage conference

Elham Zanjani and Elaheh Arj

Women of Iranian Resistance in Iceland’s centennial suffrage conference

May 8, 2016
in Activities
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
Authors: Guðrún C. Emilsdóttir and Ása Fanney Gestsdóttir

One of the grand events of the centennial of women’s suffrage in Iceland was an international conference, held on 22 and 23 October 2015 in Harpa.

Many excellent lecturers from various countries stepped into the pulpit and told us about interesting global issues concerning women in one way or another. The program was diverse and hopefully we’ll be able to tell you more about it later. The conference guests, who also came from all over the world, were also interesting and coffee and lunch breaks gave an opportunity to get to know them better. Among these guests were two Iranian women, who had a lot to say about women’s rights in Iran, or rather their lack of rights. We got Elham Zanjani and Elaheh Arj to tell us more about what is happening in Iran and about their fight for the increased rights and freedom of women in Iran.

 The  antecedent of the revolution

Women’s situation in Iran has not always been as bad as it is today. Before the revolution in 1979, women were more or less free to travel about at will; they did not have to cover their hair and they had the right to vote. The country was in an economic upswing. At that time the monarchy was in power under the control of Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi (from 1941), but he had had a good relationship with the USA. On the other hand, public discontent with the direction things were taking started surfacing a few years before the fall of the royal family. Many people felt that western influence were too prominent, the economy was backsliding and people also felt that Shah Palavi’s behaviour towards his nation was becoming increasingly dictatorial and he was accused of corruption, violence, oppression, etc. Gradually a resistance movement started forming, consisting of people on the left wing of politics, diverse Islamic associations and students against the Shah government, and Elaheh took part in this resistance. After a series of strikes and protests Shah Pahlavi was forced to flee the country and the opposition took control. This is the background when Ayatollah Khomeini was invited to return home in 1979, because he was considered the most likely candidate to return the nation to Islamic values. It appears that Khomeini’s power was underrated – many people thought he was only returning home to his village, where he would live quietly through his last days. He was not considered any threat and the opposition believed he would be easy to set aside later. The reality turned out different. On 1 April 1979 the monarchy was formally ended following a referendum establishing whether Iran would become an Islamic theocracy, with Khomeini at the forefront as the supreme leader.

The ideology favoured by Khomeini was the so-called Vilayat-e Faqih (e. Guardianship of the Islamic Jurists). This entails that the supreme leader is the person responsible for implementing what the Islamic faith preaches in the country, thereby effectively controlling the people who live there. Therefore he holds most of the power.

Teheran
The revolution eats its children

Many people from the resistance movement had been in prison themselves a few days before the revolution and been in danger of being tortured or executed. Now things were turned around: in the aftermath of the revolution, many people were arrested and executed. But above everything else the revolution had a direct effect on women, since according to Khomeini’s interpretation of the Islamic faith, women should stay at home, rear children and take care of their husbands. Women were immediately ordered to cover their hair. They could not be elected president. Universities were closed, as they were the root of evil where all western things festered and female students were in the majority. This is why women needed to be tamed and forced into submission. When the universities were reopened, women were barred from around 70 subjects. Subjects like engineering, physics and such are not considered to be of benefit to them, as they are meant to stay at home and take care of the children.

The authorities have thus by and by pushed women back into the home and taken away their rights, one by one. The legal age for women to marry was 18 years before the revolution. Soon this age was moved down to 13 years. They have no legal status and they have next to no rights before court. They cannot even travel without the permission of their husband. The only thing that women have more of than men in Iran is suppression and oppression.

Things have gotten worse in recent years. The legal age for the marriage of women and girls has yet again been lowered, this time down to 9 years. Girls younger than 9 years of age can even be given away to be married if the father gives his agreement and by court verdict. Every year it is estimated that around 45 thousand child brides have not reached 12 years in age.

Since Khomeini came into power, women have been forbidden to sing in public. During the last two years laws against female artists have multiplied and become stricter. These days women are hardly allowed to perform anymore, neither to sing nor to play an instrument, or for any other cultural purpose. Listening to a female voice simply is diabolic and could lead to arousing meaningless pleasure, Khomeini said and Khamenei, the current supreme leader, goes even further: “if the voice is not variegated (has frequent high and low notes) and the listener does not listen with indecent thoughts of pleasure and the voice does not in any way contribute to corruption, then it is permitted. On the other hand, if it entails any trace of corruption or arouses lust, then it is forbidden.” Of course such bans lead to the further isolation of women, as they no longer are considered a good choice for the teaching of musical instruments, for example, since it is difficult to listen to a woman who never performs on stage. Women have also been barred from sport events, as they are not allowed to enter the stadiums.

The latest ploy is the current preparation of laws intended to turn women into baby machines and domestic slaves.

Street life in Teheran
What can we do? What can Iranian women do?

When asked, Elham and Elaheh say that the solution is to be found in the opposition of women themselves. Iranian women have always been culturally stronger and historically more progressive. They have been fighting for over 150 years and have put three large revolutions behind them. There is a reason why the first victim of new authorities always are women, since they pose a threat to the system.

Elaheh was a member of the student resistance movement when the revolution was made in 1979. The universities were closed and she was arrested along with many of her friends, many of whom were executed. She herself had to flee the country and leave her family behind. She cannot be in contact with her family without being in danger of being followed or that something will happen to her family. Elham was born around the time when Elaheh took part in the resistance movement, not in Iran but in Canada, where she had a happy childhood. Her parents had fled Iran shortly before she was born. As she grew older her thoughts turned increasingly to Iran and to the injustice that women have to live with there. This led her after the age of twenty to go to Camp Ashraf, which was based on the Iraqi side of the border between Iraq and Iran. This is where the members of PMOI (People‘s Mojahedin Organization of Iran), the main opposition of the Iranian government, had been given some land after the revolution, but the American army was also based there. Elham wanted to help her countrymen in this way, especially the women, who were forced to flee the country. USA handed over the control over the camp to the Iraqis in 2009, which had terrible repercussions. The Iraqis wanted to be rid of the refugees and started to systematically bring this into action by giving them little aid, starving them and finally by attacking the camp. Elham suffered great injuries on her hands and feet during this attack. This led her to return home to Canada, where she recovered and later she started giving lectures about the circumstances of Camp Ashraf and eventually Camp Liberty, where the refugees were later moved. You can read her story here.

Neither of them can ever go back to Iran, at least not while the current government is in power. But they will not give up. They say that women are in the frontline. Women in Iran have had enough and they want to bring about changes. People are afraid to express their opinions, but there is a great turmoil under the surface and any little occurrence encourages women to take to the streets to protest. They realise the danger but do not see any other way. Around 120,000 people from the resistance movement have been executed, 30% thereof were women. Female prisoners are raped in order to get them to talk. Virgin girls and women are also raped before they are executed, since thus the gates of heaven will be closed to them forever. Everything is done in order to extinguish women’s opposition. A number of police departments exist for diverse violations. The violations do not have to be serious; one lady was arrested at a wedding for not having covered her hair sufficiently; another was sentenced í 13 years in prison for drawing a picture of the parliament members as animals and as a result she was forced to go through an investigation of her virginity, since she had touched a male lawyer by shaking his hand; activists who have shown the merest opposition in the online media have received up to 10 years in prison as a result.

Iranian women have never really succumbed to such oppression. Because of everything they have been put through, they have become even stronger – they are the ones who are at the forefront in today’s protests. They want to be able to let their hair loose, to be free and to wear whatever they want.

This is the story of Iran, where every single family is connected to the resistance movement in some way, which is why the fight must continue. Elham and Elaheh presently take part in the work of an association based in Paris, called The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI). The association is run by a woman named Maryam Rajavi, who was one of the leaders of the student resistance movement when the revolution took place and who lost two sisters to execution, one of them being 8 months pregnant. Roughly 52% of the council members are women. The council believes that state and church/religion should be separated and that women should have equal rights to men in all aspects of life. Equality should be the foundation of society.

On the International day of women, on March 7, an assembly was held in Berlin, under the title: For Tolerance and Equality against Fundamentalism and Misogyny, funded by NCRI. Around 20.000 women from 40 countries in five continents visited the assembly. The main lecturer Maryam Rajavi said: “Today the central responsibility of saving the Middle East from the evils of fundamentalism rests on the shoulders of women. In this struggle their biggest weapon, the most important role and the best resource is the strong solidarity to be found among them.” Most of the other lecturers also seemed to be of the opinion that this council, which is led by an Iranian woman and who fights against the fundamentalism of the ayatollahs in Teheran, was the primary hope and the only realistic solution people could support in a democratic way.

Conclusion

Fundamental religion is a global issue, Elham and Elaheh say. If the rise of fundamentalism is not stopped, it will soon be on our doorstep. No agreement should be made with the Iranian government without demanding that executions be stopped. Why does Europe ignore this? Iceland can and should be in the frontline to protest against oppression and executions. The Icelandic government maintains that Iceland is such a small country and as such has little influence, which is not correct – you have to start somewhere.

This article was first published in the Icelandic feminist webmagazine knuz.is in Icelandic. Translation: Kristín Vilhjálmsdóttir. Any further publication is allowed only if the original site of publication is mentioned alongside.

 

https://knuz.wordpress.com/2016/01/20/stada-kvenna-i-iran/

ShareTweetPinShare

Related Posts

Charges of Armita Abbasi examined in first court session

January 30, 2023
Charges of Armita Abbasi examined

The first court hearing on the charges of Armita Abbasi The court hearing examining the charges of Armita Abbasi was held on Sunday, January 29, 2023, at Branch...

Read more

Iranian skier Atefeh Ahmadi seeks asylum in Germany

January 29, 2023
Iranian skier Atefeh Ahmadi seeks asylum in Germany

Atefeh Ahmadi was one of Iran's best Atefeh Ahmadi, a member of Iran’s national ski team, has defected and sought asylum in Germany. Atefeh Ahmadi, the flag bearer...

Read more

Instead of hospital, Zohreh Sarv is taken to Qarchak prison

January 28, 2023
Instead of hospital, Zohreh Sarv is taken to Qarchak prison

Zohreh Sarv is taken to Qarchak prison instead of the hospital Political prisoner Zohreh Sarv was taken from Evin prison on January 24, 2023, to Qarchak Prison instead...

Read more

Maryam Derisi sentenced to 22 months in jail and 74 lashes

January 27, 2023
Maryam Derisi sentenced to 22 months in jail and 74 lashes

The Revision Court of Fars Province sentenced Maryam Derisi to 22 months and 17 days in jail and 74 lashes. Maryam Derisi, from Kazerun, is a master’s student...

Read more

Rights activist Kajal Vatanpour summoned to serve jail time

January 26, 2023
Rights activist Kajal Vatanpour summoned to serve jail time

Rights activist Kajal Vatanpour summoned to serve jail time Women and children's rights activist Kajal Vatanpour, who had been arrested and sentenced to prison during the nationwide protests...

Read more
Next Post

Iran - women: Now, segregated restaurant menus

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Documents

The list of women and girls killed by Iranian security forces during the 2022 uprising

The list of women and girls killed by Iranian security forces during the Iran uprising

November 25, 2022

The list of women and girls killed by Iranian security forces during the Iran uprising Women are leading a revolution...

Statement to support the Iranian women’s struggle for freedom and equality

Sign to support the Iranian women’s struggle for freedom and equality

October 10, 2022

The NCRI Women's Committee urges all human rights defenders, women's rights organizations and advocates to sign this statement to support...

executions of women - women executed in Iran

Iran regime, the world record holder in executions of women

October 10, 2022

List of executions of women in Iran since 2007 List of women executedDownload Iran regime is the world’s record holder...

Monthlies

Spreading false narratives to cover up crime
Monthlies

Monthly Report December 2022 – Spreading false narratives to cover up crime

January 4, 2023
violence
Monthlies

Monthly November 2022 – Systematic violence against women in Iran

December 5, 2022
Monthly October 2022 – Stop arrest and torture of Iranian women
Monthlies

Monthly October 2022 – Stop arrest and torture of Iranian women

November 6, 2022
Iran protests - Leading role of women's Resistance Units
Monthlies

Monthly September 2022 – Iran protests and the leading role of women’s Resistance Units

October 9, 2022

Articles

Charges of Armita Abbasi examined

Charges of Armita Abbasi examined in first court session

January 30, 2023

The first court hearing on the charges of Armita Abbasi The court hearing examining the charges of Armita Abbasi was...

Zeynab Molaei Rad, the mother of Kian Pirfalak, suspended from her job

Zeynab Molaei Rad, the mother of Kian Pirfalak, suspended from her job

January 25, 2023

Zeynab Molaei Rad suspended from her job Zeynab Molaei Rad has been banned from teaching until further notice. Zeynab Molaei...

Brave Iranian women lose their eyes, but their hearts still beat for Iran

Brave Iranian women lose their eyes, but their hearts still beat for Iran

January 17, 2023

Ghazal Ranjkesh: I still haven’t seen the day I “must” see; I know it’s close, very close Many inspiring moments...

The Fallen for Freedom

Fatemeh Amini_EN
The Fallen for Freedom

Fatemeh Amini, symbol of perseverance and steadfastness

August 15, 2022
Fariba Dashti
The Fallen for Freedom

Fariba Dashti

August 13, 2022
Dr. Massoumeh Karimian massacred in 1988
The Fallen for Freedom

Dr. Massoumeh Karimian (Shurangiz)

August 10, 2022
Nastaran Hedayat Firouzabadi
The Fallen for Freedom

Nastaran Hedayat Firouzabadi

July 26, 2022

ABOUT US

NCRI Women Committee

We work extensively with Iranian women outside the country and maintain a permanent contact with women inside Iran. The Women’s Committee is actively involved with many women’s rights organizations and NGO’s and the Iranian diaspora.
The committee is a major source of much of the information received from inside Iran with regards to women. Attending UN Human Rights Council meetings and other international or regional conferences on women’s issues and engaging in a relentless battle against the Iranian regime’s misogyny are part of the activities of members and associates of the committee.

CATEGORIES

  • Activities
  • Articles
  • Documents
  • Events
  • Famous Women
  • Heroines in Chain
  • International Solidarity
  • International Women's Day
  • IWD Conferences
  • IWD Speeches
  • Maryam Rajavi
  • Maryam Rajavi Speeches
  • Monthlies
  • NCRI Women's Committee Presentations
  • Other Activities in Iran
  • Podcast
  • Reference Library
  • Solidarity
  • Statements
  • The Fallen for Freedom
  • Uncategorized
  • Videos
  • Violence Against Women in Iran
  • Women in History
  • Women in Iran Protests, Uprising
  • Women of Iranian Resistance
  • Women's News

BROWSE BY TAG

Child marriage coronavirus education execution forced hijab Gender Gap Generation Equality Honor killings Iran Teachers Maryam Akbari Monfared Nurses Poverty Prisoners Protests rural women Saba Kord Afshari The girl child Violence against women Women's Leadership Women Heads of Household Zeinab Jalalian

The copyright of all the material published on this website has been registered under © 2016 the Women’s Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran. To obtain permission to copy, redistribute or publish the material published on this website, you should write to the NCRI Women’s Committee. Please include the link of the original article on our website, women.ncr-iran.org.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • Women’s News
    • Articles
    • Statements
  • Publications
    • Monthlies
    • Documents
    • Reference Library
  • About Us
    • The NCRI Women’s Committee
    • Gender Equality
    • Women’s Platform
  • Maryam Rajavi
    • Maryam Rajavi Speeches
    • Ten Point Plan for Iran
    • Ten Point Plan for Women
  • Vanguards
    • The Fallen for Freedom
    • Heroines in Chain
    • Women of Iranian Resistance
    • Famous Women
    • Women in History
  • Events
    • IWD Conferences
    • Activities
    • IWD Speeches
    • Solidarity
  • Videos
  • Podcast
  • Donate
  • Contact us
  • فارسی
  • عربی
  • Français

The copyright of all the material published on this website has been registered under © 2016 the Women’s Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran. To obtain permission to copy, redistribute or publish the material published on this website, you should write to the NCRI Women’s Committee. Please include the link of the original article on our website, women.ncr-iran.org.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist