WOMAN, LIFE, FREEDOM

Note: This is a lengthy article. Try to remain present and read with attention, effort, empathy and compassion for the Iranian community during these unpleasant and tragic times.

Thank you.

If you are reading this, I'm sure by now, News has struck your local news outlet, and your socials are leaving you curious about the recent uproar and protests on the News regarding Iran.

I am here to vocalize the situation as an ally for my friends and family in the Iranian community and all others whose human rights have been at the forefront of violation and dehumanization. Today I am writing with respect for my Iranian sisters. These women have been targeted and harmed daily at the hands of oppression and injustice inflicted upon them by the guidance patrols (or Gasht-e-Ershad), commonly known as the Morality Police' of Iran.

I am here to support the people of Iran, both women and men, young and old, rich or poor, because they need our voice. They need my voice as an ally, and they need yours. I am writing to inform you of what my Iranian friends and neighbours wish to vocalize to you, the non-Iranian community, about the situation in their country.

So What's going on

The spontaneous outburst of anger we, as outsiders, are witnessing on the News is a response to the death of a young Kurdistani woman named Mahsa Jina Amini, 22.

Mahsa was a Woman from Iran, and she came into the News on Sept. 23, 2022

The 22-year-old – originally from Saqqez in Kurdistan province — was a guest in Tehran visiting her family at the time. She was then arrested in her brother's car on a visit to the capital to see their relatives by hijab enforcement officers. The morality or Islamic religious police told her brother she was being taken to the detention center for a brief admonitory session about the Islamic dress code and would be released soon after.

Iranian Social Media Explodes Over Young Hijab Victim. https://www.iranintl.com/en/202209169114

However, as you can see within this video by BBC news, there is more to the story.

We can confirm that Mahsa died in custody after the police detained her for allegedly "violating Iran's hijab and modesty law." Amini was arrested on Sept. 13, 2022, and passed away on Sept. 16. 2022.

Iranian officials claimed she died due to a heart attack. However, her parents said she never had any pre-existing health conditions before her supposed "heart attack" and has always been in good health.

The hospital Amini was transferred to released a statement that she was brain dead upon her arrival to the hospital, but later revoked the claim. Witnesses claim that she was assaulted and tortured after being taken away for education purposes. Her brother Kiarash who released a statement in late September following his sister's arrest, states that he even noticed bruises on her head and legs upon seeing her. Moreover, activists within the country have released medical scans of Mahsa's skull, showing brain edema and hemorrhage.

Following the release of this information

Her death quickly struck a national nerve and gave a human face to the public's long-simmering anger over the unjust acts enforced in the country due to strict religious laws.

According to an article written by the New York

: The nationwide protests have only grown since September after Amini's death. Beginning as demonstrations on the streets and through social media condemning what protestors say was Amini's unlawful killing, the protests in Iran are fueled by the government's brutal oppression demonstrated in the past few weeks and longstanding frustration against the country's authoritarian regime. At demonstrations across the country, people have reported and recorded videos of unarmed protesters being beaten and harassed by the police. Iranians are expressing a range of frustrations over issues like the country's mandatory modesty laws, the harsh restrictions imposed on people's political choices and speech and the government's discriminatory practices against ethnic minorities. Over the past three weeks, at least 1,200 people had been arrested, including 29 journalists, 20 activists and 19 teachers, according to government arrest reports.

Excerpt from the new york times here's What Has Happened in Iran Since the Death of Mahsa Amini. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/here-s-what-has-happened-in-iran-since-the-death-of-mahsa-amini/ar-AA12KrMi

Mahsa's death has ignited Tehran protests, which are now raging across 80+ provinces. Protests that began in Amini's hometown of Saqqez in Kurdistan province have since spread to most of Iran's provinces has now turned into 40-plus days of civil unrest.

And while countless people got arrested in the initial phases. According to recent statistics, Rights groups say more than 200 people have died during the protests, and hundreds, if not thousands, have been arrested. Analysts say the protests have become one of the most serious challenges to the Islamic Republic. (VOA's Persian Service contributed to this report).

Iran Protests Continue to Escalate. https://www.voanews.com/a/iran-protests-continue-to-escalate/6808248.html

But wait, unfortunately, with updated information and the efforts of activists who have networked to spread detailed and accurate News from within the nation to the international audience, the civil unrest within Iran continues to grow.

UPDATE

As anger continues to grip the country, more and more Iranians have joined the demonstrations, turning the crisis into an outlet for broader frustrations with the government.

Many have called for a scrapping of the far-reaching religious restrictions that govern how people dress, socialize in their homes and what they drink and eat. Even some conservatives have taken up that call, arguing that criminalizing violation of the rules and imposing them by force has backfired and fueled resentment toward religion.

Analysts also say that years of economic decline have stretched the patience of many Iranians, who have periodically taken to the streets in protest in recent years.

Protests in Iran: What to Know - The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/22/world/middleeast/iran-protests.htm

Student takes over

College students, who were usually afraid to raise their voices so as not to be banished from education, are now protesting in their schools.

We are now seeing university students and youth banning together at the forefront to say enough is enough in ways their nation has never seen before. These people are at the forefront of these protests risking their lives in the name of justice and freedom. And As an outsider looking in, it becomes apparent that this is a direct attack on the rights, voices and lives of a bright and shining nation whose will to exemplify its message to the world has been hijacked because of political belief and strife.

Authorities have continued to block internet access, a tactic presumably to prevent the spread of information.

The authorities have quickly imposed stringent internet services restrictions and have clamped down severely on protesters.

Access to social media platforms and messaging applications is blocked.

Hence, the Iranian community is asking the international community and all others who are non-Iranian to speak; they need OUR VOICE.

The killing of more youth protesters gives Iran's uprising a new symbol.

After the internet was restricted, Word could not get out as to what other lives or heinous crimes committed as we speak.

It's no shocker that more unethical deaths have occurred. Still, with much younger women whose names I will also mention as a tribute to their martyrdom and respect to their families for the young members they have lost.

Gone, but never forgotten...

A group fully aware of their rights is in touch with the world and knows well what their rights are

Nika, another young lady, 17 years old https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Nika_Shakarami

And Sarina Esmailzadeh, 16 years old https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Sarina_Esmailzadeh.

Who Came into the News soon after Mahsa, And if I am, to be honest, it was enough for me as a non-Iranian to say enough is enough. I, too, have had enough of this. Hence why I made it a priority to get this article typed out and distributed for you. I empathize with the people of Iran and the families who have lost their daughters, sisters, nieces, aunts, cousins and mothers at the hands of these laws.

Below are links to read the recent deaths of the young ladies whose names are within a list of the protestors that have recently lost their lives. Nika and Sarina's story and many others you may have heard of in the news stories are in the links provided below

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-63242100

SO WHAT IS THE BIG DEAL

For one, Iranian women have long fought for their rights and are being punished for demanding their human rights be adhered to and respected.

People tend to forget that Iranian women were already protesting almost four decades ago, since the very beginning of this current regime.

This is not the first time the theocracy at the helm of the Iranian government has cracked down on women protesting for greater rights.

Iranian women have been challenging the hijab rule since its inception in 1981 and testing the limits of what they could get away with. As younger generations of women came of age, they became bolder in removing headscarves in public and calling for an end to mandatory hijab.

But the Islamic regime has printed so much fear and was so brutal that people were imprisoned, executed, tortured or forced to flee. Those brave people who stayed and continued their daily struggles in Iran survived. Indeed, the hijab is just a tiny portion of the big picture;

But protesting against it is a big step. Kudos to these brave women.

It's part of a broader push among Iranian women on issues such as divorce, child custody and the right to work and travel without a male guardian's approval and against other discriminatory laws.

BRAVELY CONTINUES; Bloody protests in Iran driven by women's rights. https://www.investonomist.com/opinion-commentary-highlights/410/

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/22/world/middleeast/iran-protests.html

In conclusion, Iran is a country hidden by a religious veil of oppression. If we lift it, we will see a nation of science and achievement and art and culture, a culture that can be a true friend to Many others around the world.

The history behind the women's protests in Iran is long and complicated, and as I explained in this article for the government, it is not only about women's rights; it is seen as a political movement, and therefore dangerous and threatening to the existence of the regime.

The other tragic part about Amini's death and all the others is that the rest of the world seems not to care to learn about it. As an advocate for human rights and activism, this is where I tell you that we need to stop comparing and contrasting causes deeming one less or more than the others. I know yall hate to hear it, but ALL LIVES MATTER, as a black woman from west Africa who has also hailed from a country filled with genocide, discrimination, political strife, violence and infringements on human rights. What we see in the middle east, Africa, Asia, South America, Canada, and the united states is an issue of humanity. Not just a woman's problem, a black person's problem, or a poor people's problem. We are human beings, and unfortunately, we will face oppression, injustice, inequality and fear in this lifetime. So dont tell me one race above all matters when we are all in this together. Even if you can't relate, empathy or compassion is a tool you can utilize to try to put yourself in the shoes of people who are disadvantaged compared to you.

In the west, as an example, we have normalized Middle Eastern nations' oppression by their rulers, and News like Amini's never gets enough spotlight. Because we have held the belief for God knows how long that ALL middle easterners or anyone who claims to be a Muslim are a terrorist, which is far from the truth. We need to do better. Every man, woman and child deserves to be heard regardless of what nation you are from.

I mourn for Mahsa Amini. I mourn her violent death. I grieve for the three days of hell she has faced and weep for all other youth and university students who have lost their lives.

Amini was one of the millions of people going through governmental oppression in Iran and other nations worldwide. Millions have to fear for their safety walking in the street because of what they are wearing, what they say or how they will react to infringements upon their rights.

To be an activist means to speak up in the name of oppression. We live in the digital age, and some people will hate or try to demean protests and revolutionary acts as a waste of time.

As bloggers, journalists, human rights activists, philantrophists, artists and Humanitarians at large , we continue to do what is within our power to get as much accurate and detailed information to you so you can partake in what's happening in the world, your community and all else in between.

Please do not ignore this current cry for support or any cry for help for this matter of fact.

They have asked us to be their voice as they have been the voice for other nations outside their country. The bottom line is if you have a voice use it. Even if it's the bare minimum and that's all you got. Use it because Any effort helps.

Creditable sources/citations

https://youtu.be/jEqDmnlsyKQ

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/22/world/middleeast/iran-protests.html

https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-62996100.amp

https://www.outlookindia.com/international/how-the-death-of-masha-amini-pushed-iranian-women-over-the-edge-of-revolution-news-228622/amp

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/10/8/not-afraid-anymore-clashes-as-iran-protests-enter-fourth-week

https://time.com/6220853/iran-protests-mahsa-amini-what-to-know/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siCHErRPVMw&ab_channel=BBCNews

(Image source Quora.com)