On the Occasion of March 8th, 2023, International Women’s Day.
This year on March 8th, what issue could be more important for those striving for equality and freedom for women, than speaking about a movement that started with the slogan “Women, Life, Freedom”? The movement that has appropriately been called “the first women’s revolution in the world” is more importantly Iranian women’s revolution and cultural, political and economic and yet a glorious movement against one of the most violent governments in the world.
For more than four decades, the Islamic government of Iran based on religious laws, first took away all the human rights of Iranian women with the goal of considering women only as half humans. A woman forced back in history and time with lower status and rights who could not claim political or economic rights and equality with men. She has not even had the most basic and the simplest right of her life: the freedom of choosing her own clothing. The Islamic government only brought disaster for women in Iran. Women were treated like medieval slaves forced by their slave owners to wear what he ordered to wear. From the point of view of the Islamic government, an Iranian woman has no more rights than a slave.
Intelligent Iranian women and men have well understood that the way to fight against such a barbaric and cruel government is to appeal to their own national-Iranian culture and identity. The same culture that the Islamic government has tried to destroy its tangible and intangible assets in the last 43 years and is still afraid of hearing its names.
In my opinion, the most important decision that we Iranians have to make is that each of us do our part so that this revolution will come to fruition, and if it comes to fruition, it will present the opportunity to celebrate another international day: A day called “International Women’s Revolution Day”. Perhaps one day, the United Nations will commemorate that day for the most beautiful and virtuous women and men of Iran who have been raped, blinded, poisoned and killed for the crime of wanting freedom and for finally bringing the gift of freedom and democracy to their homeland.
Shokooh Mirzadegi
