Iran’s Mahsa Amini Finalist For EU’s Top Human Rights Prize
New Age
Islam News Bureau
16 October 2023
·
Iran’s
Mahsa Amini Finalist For EU’s Top Human Rights Prize
·
‘Women… Are
Fuelled By A Will To Survive’: Iran’s Nobel Peace Prize Winner Narges Mohammadi
·
'Don’t
Forget To Wash Blood Of Babies...': Israel's Envoy Slams UN Over Iran Meet,
'Double Standards'
·
Two
Israeli women security officers of Indian origin killed in Hamas attack:
Official sources
·
History:
The harrowing tales of Indian women recruited as indentured labourers in
Mauritius
·
Online
Learning Provided for Girls in Kandahar
·
Iranian Women
Lead The Fight Against A Vicious Propaganda War
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL:
https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/iran-mahsa-eu-human-rights/d/130912
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Iran’s Mahsa Amini Finalist For EU’s Top
Human Rights Prize
Protesters
demonstrate on the occasion of the one-year anniversary of the death of 22-year-old
Mahsa Amini, in Rome, Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023. Amini died following her arrest
by the Iran's morality police for allegedly viol...Show more
The
Associated Press
------
10/13/2023
The European Parliament Thursday
announced the finalists for this year’s prestigious Sakharov Prize that
includes Mahsa Amini and the Woman Life Freedom Movement in Iran.
Last year, the death of Mahsa Amini, the
22-year-old Kurdish-Iranian woman while in police custody for improper attire,
sparked one of the most widespread anti-government protests across the country.
The crackdown on protests resulted in hundreds of deaths and thousands of
arrests by authorities, according to human rights organizations.
The Woman Life Freedom Movement has
gained international attention in support of Iranian women who have been
enduring decades of oppression and enforced hijab by the Islamic Republic’s
regime since 1979.
The Sakharov Prize is awarded each year
by the European Parliament since 1988 to honor individuals and organizations
that defend human rights and basic freedoms. The winning laureates for 2023
selected by the European Parliament will receive the prize in a ceremony in
December in Strasbourg.
Previous recipients of the prize include
Nelson Mandela and Malala Yousafzai, who also won the Nobel Peace Prize.
The shortlist is the latest show of
recognition of the plight of Iranian women by the international community. Last
week, jailed activist Narges Mohammadi was awarded the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize
for what the committee called “her fight against the oppression of women in
Iran and her fight to promote human rights and freedom for all.”
Meanwhile, days after the one-year
anniversary of Mahsa Amini’s death in September, Iranian parliament passed a
chastity and hijab bill to impose heavier penalties on women who do not follow
the compulsory Islamic dress code.
Source: iranintl.com
https://www.iranintl.com/en/202310138165
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‘Women… Are Fuelled By A Will To Survive’: Iran’s Nobel Peace Prize Winner Narges Mohammadi
Nobel Peace
Prize 2023: Iranian Activist Narges Mohammadi Recognized for Defiant Struggle
for Women's Rights
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By Arushi Bhaskar
New Delhi: October 15, 2023
The 2023 Nobel Prize for Peace has been
awarded to Narges Mohammadi, an Iranian women’s rights activist, “for her fight
against the oppression of women in Iran and her fight to promote human rights
and freedom for all”.
Mohammadi is currently incarcerated in
Iran, serving a 16-year sentence that began in 2015 over charges that include
spreading propaganda against the state.
While announcing the award, the
Norwegian Nobel Committee also referred to the 2022 protests in Iran, following
the killing of a young woman named Mahsa Amini while she was in the custody of
the morality police. The protests’ motto ‘Zan –Zendegi – Azadi’ (Woman – Life –
Freedom) “suitably expresses the dedication and work of Narges Mohammadi”, the
committee said.
In this regard, we look at a quote from
Mohammadi — “Women will not give up. We are fuelled by a will to survive,
whether we are inside prison or outside”. What did she mean by it and how is it
a continuation of the women’s rights movement in Iran?
What is the full quote? What is its
significance?
“Women will not give up. We are fuelled
by a will to survive, whether we are inside prison or outside.”
This quote was posted on Mohammadi’s
Instagram account as well as the official Nobel Prize account after her win was
announced. It refers to both her life and work and the position of women in
Iranian society. The quote is an effective call for continuing women’s struggle
against patriarchy. In a few words, it illustrates the strength and
determination of women to battle against all odds, in all kinds of
circumstances, without giving up.
And while the sentiment has universal
applicability, in feminist movements in other countries too, the quote is also
reflective of Mohammadi’s activism that focuses on Iranian women’s rights.
Who is Narges Mohammadi?
Born in 1972, Mohammadi comes from a
politically active family– her relatives were imprisoned following the Iranian
Revolution, which saw the country transition to a theocracy.
In an interview with The New York Times
earlier this year, Mohammadi said that two childhood memories “set her on the
path to activism” – her mother’s prison visits to her brother, and seeing her
watch announcements on TV for the names of prisoners executed each day.
In the 1990s, Mohammadi made her voice
heard through regular articles in newspapers, even as she established her career
as an engineer. In 2003, she became associated with the Defenders of Human
Rights Center in Tehran, an organisation founded by Shirin Ebadi – the first
Iranian woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize back in 2003.
This is not Mohammadi’s first time in
prison – that happened in 2011. However, even there she organised protests
against the government along with other women prisoners. “Altogether, the
regime has arrested her 13 times, convicted her five times and sentenced her to
a total of 31 years in prison and 154 lashes,” the Nobel Committee said.
In 2022, following protests after Mahsa
Amini’s death, she organised solidarity actions. She has also campaigned
vigorously against the death penalty and other harsh sentences meted out to
prisoners in the country. Last year, her book ‘White Torture’ was published
while she was briefly at home after a medical emergency. It focused on solitary
confinement and included interviews with other Iranian women who had undergone
punishment.
Iran and the struggle for women’s rights
The most recent example of Iranian
women’s rights being in the spotlight was the months-long agitation that
followed Mahsa Amini’s death in 2022. Women did not just take to the streets to
vent their frustration but it was seen as a protest against years of
regulations – there were reports of multiple women burning their headscarves in
public spaces.
Iranian women also protested after the
Iranian Revolution in 1979. After taking over the government, Ayatollah
Khomeini announced on March 7 of that year that the hijab would be mandatory
for women. Tens of thousands of women marched against the order the very next
day, which just so happened to be International Women’s Day.
In a 2022 Associated Press report, Susan
Maybud, who participated in those marches and then worked as a news assistant
with the foreign press, said: “It was really the first counter-revolutionary
movement… It wasn’t just about the hijab, because we knew what was next, taking
away women’s rights.”
Source: indianexpress.com
https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/this-quote-means-nobel-peace-prize-2023-feminist-movement-iran-upsc-8983830/
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'Don’t Forget To Wash Blood Of
Babies...': Israel's Envoy Slams UN Over Iran Meet, 'Double Standards'
16 Oct 2023
Israel's Ambassador to the United
Nations Gilad Erdan slammed a senior official of the organisation over meeting
Iran's Finance Minister citing the country's role in the 'massacre of Israeli
women and children' as the war with Hamas claimed more lives. Taking to X, the
UN Envoy in a sharply worded condemnation of the meeting said, "Don’t
forget to wash the blood of Israeli babies off your hands after that
handshake."
He added, "Today (!!!), senior UN
official, Tor Wennesland not only met with the Iranian regime’s FM, but didn’t
even bother condemning Iran for its role in the massacre of Israeli women and
children. It’s no secret that Hamas terrorists are openly praising Iran for
funding, arming, and training them."
The envoy further questioned the 'double
standards' of the global body after another top official Martin Griffiths
commented on the plight of Gaza without water, power and medicines, adding that
it will lead to many more deaths.
This post seemed to have triggered the
envoy and he reacted by saying, "Have you been living under a rock? Your
double standards truly know no bounds…"
He asked, "Where was your outcry
when Hamas funneled all UN funds to dig terror tunnels and manufacture rockets
targeting Israeli civilians? When Hamas diverted every resource – water,
energy, civilian infrastructure – from the Gazan population, to their terror
capabilities?"
He urged the UN to call on Hamas to
release hostages. He said, "If you, as the head of a humanitarian agency,
truly want the suffering of all sides to end, start by calling on Hamas to
release all hostages. This is the most urgent humanitarian crisis. And
following the return of the hostages, Hamas should turn themselves in, as the
designated terrorists that they are."
This comes as the war with Hamas
escalated and the Israeli forces prepare to launch a ground assault. However,
responding to a warning by US President Joe Biden on reoccupying Gaza, the UN
envoy said Israel was not interested.
Source: abplive.com
https://news.abplive.com/news/world/israel-hamas-war-gaza-gilad-erdan-un-iran-meet-hamas-israeli-children-women-1636187
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Two Israeli women security officers of
Indian origin killed in Hamas attack: Official sources
16th October 2023
JERUSALEM: At least two Israeli women
security officers of Indian origin were killed in the unprecedented attack
carried out by the Palestinian militant group Hamas earlier this month,
official sources and people from the community confirmed on Sunday.
Lieutenant Or Moses, 22, a commander in
the Home Front Command, from Ashdod and Inspector Kim Dokraker, a Border Police
officer in the police's Central District, were killed in the attack on October
7, officials confirmed.
Both of them are said to have died on
duty in combat.
According to officials, so far 286 army
soldiers and 51 police officers have been killed in the conflict.
There could be more victims as Israel
continues to confirm the identity of the dead and search for those missing or
possibly kidnapped, several community members told PTI.
One young woman from the community,
Shahaf Talker managed to survive the attack with her friend, according to her
grandfather.
She is still in shock and unable to
speak because of the mental agony, the grandfather Yaacov Talker, who migrated
from Mumbai at the age of 11 in 1963, said.
"Early today Shahaf went to the
funeral of some of her friends who were killed in the massacre that happened at
the rave music party where about 270 youngsters were killed in mass killings
carried out by Hamas after infiltrating Israeli territory," said Yaacov
who now lives in Petah Tikva, a town in northern Israel.
She felt sorry for the victims of the
attack by Hamas militants.
Yaacov said that it has been very
difficult the past week to deal with the trauma she went through.
Sheeja Anand, a caregiver from Kerala
who was injured in the attack, is now stable, sources said.
The caregiver suffered injuries in her
hands and leg in the rocket attack on October 7 in the northern Israeli city of
Ashkelon.
She was immediately provided treatment
at a nearby hospital.
Source: newindianexpress.com
https://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2023/oct/16/two-israeli-women-security-officers-of-indian-origin-killed-in-hamas-attack-official-sources-2624223.html
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History: The harrowing tales of Indian
women recruited as indentured labourers in Mauritius
Bhaswati Mukherjee
October 16, 2023
The sea voyage was a great ordeal,
particularly for single women. The easy presumption that single women recruits
were usually widows or prostitutes is not supported by statistical evidence. It
seems most unlikely that large numbers of women prostitutes had immigrated to
Mauritius. Available evidence sourced from immigration registers indicate that
the larger proportion of women were not single but travelling in family groups.
Moreover, single women were not necessarily prostitutes. Many had come to
rejoin male family members in Mauritius. Of greater concern was the extreme
vulnerability of single women travellers to the unwanted sexual attentions of
men onboard the ship, including crew members.
In the Woodcock Report, it was noted
that any young single Indian woman on the ship Drongan to Mauritius in 1836
“was claimed before we had been at sea three days as the property of three
persons”. In the event of these unfortunate women contracting any disease, usually
cholera, they were mercilessly thrown overboard. In case the ship was nearing
Mauritius, they could be thrown into the awaiting ocean before death claimed
them. In that event, their orphaned children would be looked after by the
remaining jahaji bhais and jahaji behens. Many other women died after arrival
in quarantine, at the depot or at the hospital. Those who survived were unaware
that their real challenge lay ahead – to confront their harsh exploitation at
the hands of 19th-century plantation owners.
Initially, the female indentured were
married and came to join their husbands. In the 1840s, married females
accounted for around 60–80 per cent of the new arrivals. The remaining women
were single. Their compulsions for moving to Mauritius were varied and ranged
from extreme poverty to a difficult family environment or broken marriages.
Some were forced into prostitution and opted for indenture, there being no
other option at that time, except suicide. The latter option was exercised out
of desperation even in Mauritius. The single women would wait at the depot for
a suitable match in view of the many unmarried Indian males indentured on the
island. These were termed “depot marriages”. Marriage on arrival in Mauritius
was defined as “marriage migration”.
Invariably, women hoped for spouses from
similar castes and the same region of origin. Single women were looked upon
with suspicion and usually offered domestic work rather than work in the
plantations. Unfortunately, many women were victims of trafficking by
unscrupulous returnees or agents who would marry them to one or several men
simultaneously. Of greater concern was the gradual infiltration of an informal
dowry system by Mauritian Indians who would pay the bride’s family for a wife.
This encouraged the abusive treatment of daughters by their fathers and later,
of wives by their husbands, sometimes leading to murder. The wife was
invariably regarded as chattel.
In one instance, the accused named
Virapatrin noted that he had purchased his wife named Thelamey for a
substantial amount, part of which had been borrowed. He accused Thelamey of
adultery and believed her to be deserving of death. In such marriages, wives
had no rights, including remarriage after the death of the spouse. She would
forever remain the inalienable property of her spouse. In such situations, many
women opted for suicide as salvation. These included single destitute women as
well as widows with no means of sustenance. To encourage the recruitment of
more women, returnees petitioned the colonial government to allow them to
return with their families. To consolidate and increase the Indian indentured,
several laws were enacted to allow family reunions. These included the
provision of free passages for wives and children of male indentured and the
payment of a bonus by the colonial authorities to recruiters bringing married
couples or spouses of male indentured. The number of female arrivals went up
from 49 in 1842 to 4,380 in 1843.
In addition, women migrants were
exempted from signing formal indenture agreements. It was argued that “they
were primarily valued for their role in fostering the permanent settlement of
the community in Mauritius, as reproducers of labour power force rather than as
labourers per se”. The then Governor of Mauritius Sir James Macaulay Higginson
even suggested the “creation of resident labour population” considered
“indispensable to permanent security”.
Despite these measures, women remained a
tiny minority of the total Indian indentured population. According to the 1859
Immigration Report, between 1834 and 1852, about 1,014 women arrived, 244
returned to India, and 210 died in Mauritius. The report also documented the
slow trickle of female arrivals. A powerful disincentive to increased women’s
recruitment was the harsh and invasive medical examination they were subjected
to against their wishes by European doctors and emigration officials.
In 1847, the Protector of Emigrants at
Mauritius cautioned against subjecting women “to so close an examination of
their persons for the purpose of requesting their bodily marks […] it is
evident […] that they are even stripped of their clothes”. Media reports
regarding such practices outraged public opinion in India and the practice was
discontinued. Plantation owners remained notoriously reluctant to encourage
female indenture or spouses of male indenture to be brought to Mauritius. The
returnee recruiters were aware of their instructions as well as the emigration
agents at Calcutta and Madras. It has been documented that an Indian planter
based in Mauritius, Tiroumoudy, recommended that spouses of the indentured be
brought to Mauritius.
The Emigration Agent responded in the
negative, stating: “[The] returned men all of whom when asked their reason for
taking no women invariably replied that their Mauritian masters have forbidden
them to bring any, saying their masters require men for their cultivation, not
women.” By 1857, this attitude became known to the Protector of Emigrants at
Mauritius and to the Mauritian colonial government. It was decided that further
measures would be required to encourage female recruitment. Between 1842 and
1860, the recruiters were paid a lump sum if the proportion of male-to-female
recruits was respected. The proportion was fixed as 40 women to every 100 men
immigrants.
This practice was abolished in 1866,
since the Protector in Mauritius complained that the sirdars and returnees had
manipulated the system to maximise the cash remuneration by bringing back “two
and sometimes three wives”. In some cases, women used to be sold on arrival at
Mauritius. This has been documented in the case of a cook named Buskeet who
used to work on ships carrying indentured labour as well as women “whom he
sold.”
Source: scroll.in
https://scroll.in/article/1057583/history-the-harrowing-tales-of-indian-women-recruited-as-indentured-labourers-in-mauritius
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Online Learning Provided for Girls in
Kandahar
14 OCTOBER 2023
A teacher in Kandahar province is
providing online education for girls deprived of education.
Nabia Modasser was a teacher in one of
the girls' schools in Kandahar. After the imposed restrictions on the education
of girls above the sixth grade, she has been forced to stay at home, but now
she provides physics, chemistry, and computer education for deprived girls
students.
“After the school gates were closed, my
students asked me to organize teaching for them online. They were very happy to
continue their studies,” said Nabia Modasser.
Modasser has asked other teachers to use
the facilities to provide various education for students who are deprived of
education.
“I want other Afghan sisters to come and
teach online the topics they specialize in,” said Nabia Modasser.
Meanwhile, girls who are deprived of
education want the Islamic Emirate to reopen the gates of schools and
universities for girls in Afghanistan.
“We want the government to open schools
so that girls can study and build a future for themselves and have a duty,”
said Sonya, a student.
“We face many problems, those who are
deprived of education, now can't do anything,” said Samya, a student.
While more than 750 days having passed
since the closing of schools for girls above the sixth grade, the Islamic
Emirate has always emphasized that they provide the ground for girls to go to
school and universities based on Sharia.
Source: tolonews.com
https://tolonews.com/afghanistan-185532
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Iranian women lead the fight against a
vicious propaganda war
15 Oct, 2023
One of the oldest and most culturally
rich countries in West Asia, Iran holds relics of the rise and fall of empires
of the past. Tehran, its capital and largest city, full of architectural
wonders, has a population of 9.5 million.
But it is in Mashhad, a city in the
northeast of the country, known as a place for religious pilgrimage, that I,
along with over 100 other women in the media, attended the Khorsheed Media
Festival, a festival sponsored by the local municipality as well as the
Ministry of Culture and the bureau of the Iranian president’s deputy for women
and family affairs. The aim was to connect women in journalism and expose them
to the realities of Iran, especially, to the role of women in its society.
Woven among the streets of Tehran and
Mashhad is where the noticeable differences between what Western media alleges
about Iran and its treatment of women, versus the reality on the ground, became
much clearer. According to Western media, women in Iran have little to no
rights, and protests within Iran have erupted, with support from the US and
other Western countries, calling for the freedom of these oppressed women.
These voices of opposition against
Iran’s government grew louder after the case of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old
woman who allegedly died in police custody from being brutally beaten by the
so-called morality police for not adhering to the dress code. Police denied
they had ever touched her or even made an arrest. The president of Iran
immediately called for an investigation and lamented the death of the young
woman. But the incident sparked a wave of protests across Iran, with many in
the US demanding intervention and calling for the abolishment of the current
government.
CCTV footage later revealed that after
Amini and an officer exchanged words, she collapsed on her own before she was
taken to the hospital where she later died. Further, forensics from a coroner’s
report on Amini showed her death was not caused by a blow to the head, but by
multiple organ failure caused by a lack of oxygen to the brain. It was also
confirmed by medical professionals that she had a brain tumor and had
previously gone to the hospital for treatment.
Having traveled to other countries
labeled ‘brutal dictatorships’, where as an American I was told not to go, like
Nicaragua, Cuba, Venezuela, and Russia, which ended up being far from the painted
evil, I had a pretty keen idea that I would not be seeing exactly what the
media claimed. But I was immediately more than shocked upon arriving at the
airport in Tehran and seeing a woman with no headscarf in front of a police
officer, getting into a vehicle without being harassed or even told to cover
up. The surprises would keep coming in this realm as I saw women in cafes and
streets not wearing the headscarf at all, and there was hardly even a glance
from most. Although alcohol is banned in Iran, there was dancing, singing, and
many families celebrating the weekend in a cafe, but there were also several
women in the presence of men and their families not wearing a scarf.
Even more than the issue of the hijab or
headscarf, women in Iran are statistically well-educated, with over 57 percent
of women in higher education as of 2020, and that’s exactly what I witnessed
among a bevy of lawyers, doctors, professors, scientists, and key members of
Iranian society. In fact, female adult literacy rates tripled from 24% in 1976
near the end of the Iranian monarchy to 81% in 2016, while those who finished
primary education increased from 36% in 1971 to 99% in 2017. Not only were
Iranian women highly educated, the men were supportive of their endeavors in
addressing the issues they felt most needed attention. The women seemed to run
the show, especially focusing on the Western propaganda waged against Iran, and
how they are leading the charge in fighting it.
From what I witnessed, women in Iran
enjoy higher stature in the family home compared to their Western counterparts.
I joined women from Algeria, Turkey, and Kenya to relay our experience on Press
TV, and though we did not know each other, we all had similar observations when
recounting what we saw versus what we had been told we would see. The
difference in how women view themselves in Iran versus the West lies in how
they view gender roles. In the West, feminism has merged with the idea of
sexual expression and being able to do anything a man can do. But in Iran,
women are treated in a delicate manner and praised as essential members of
society with different roles than men, but the differences are valued rather
than opposed.
Some of us also had the opportunity to
meet with President Ebrahim Raisi, who gave a speech mentioning how “the West
uses women as a tool” and are not really in favor of human or women’s rights,
but use both to exert pressure on independent nations. He added that “The
Islamic Republic views women as neither an instrument, nor a homemaker. In a
sense, there is a third view which observes that women can be society builders
alongside men and play an essential role in the family and society.”
He further criticized the West for
disregarding the human rights of the Palestinian people for seven decades and
for occupying Afghanistan for 20 years, leaving behind only chaos and damage.
Still, the narrative in the West remains
the same a little over a year after Mahsa Amini’s death. Most recently, a
supposed attack on another young woman became a new catalyst for accusations
against Iran’s government. According to Western media reports citing a
prominent Kurdish group, 16-year-old Armita Geravand went into a coma after
suffering “severe physical assault” at the hands of government police inside a
metro. Similarly to Amini’s case, police denied they had anything to do with
her death and released CCTV footage showing the young woman arriving at Shahada
Metro, entering the train, and later being carried out by her friends. The
parents confirmed this, saying she suffered a drop in blood pressure and
fainted, hitting her head on the edge of the door, after which she was taken to
the hospital by her friends who had called an ambulance. Even more compelling
are the statements to the media by the friends who had accompanied Geravand,
saying no one had attacked or approached them. But that didn’t stop Western
media from running with the story of how she had been allegedly “beaten into a
coma.” Iran’s spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs criticized US,
UK, and German officials for their remarks on Geravand’s case and women’s
rights, saying, “Instead of interventionist and biased remarks and expressing
insincere concern over Iranian women and girls, you’d better be concerned about
US, German and UK healthcare personnel, patients and tackle their situation.”
While there are surely protests and
anti-government sentiments, the women I encountered and saw in the streets
appeared to wear the headscarf because they wanted to and told me they did not
feel “oppressed” but were trying to fight the propaganda about women in Iran.
The West Asian nation is a theocratic state but that does not mean that women
do not have value. Instead, vast cultural differences mean different
definitions of freedom. One university instructor and filmmaker with a Master’s
degree named Sheida told me, “Western media deliberately do not mention
examples of justice for women in the Islamic Republic of Iran. Of course, they
see it, but they pretend not to see it.” According to her, the Islamic
Revolution gave value to women, and Iranian Muslim and non-Muslim women are no
longer commodities to be chosen for their bodies, allowing women in scientific
and cultural fields, military, sports, and politics to play a great role and
have a great impact on the development of the country. Their sexuality has not
hindered their abilities like it does in the West.
I also had the chance to speak at a
panel on precisely the history of US interventions all over the world, where I
outlined the mechanisms used by the West to overthrow leaders who do not agree
with their foreign policy. I mentioned how the US has done anything but live up
to its ideals of truth and freedom, while Western claims of ‘democracy’ have
come in the form of deceit, intervention, and war for the rest of the world.
And whether I or any foreigner disagrees with Islam, our opinions about these
Muslim women or the government of Iran is irrelevant. Iran is a sovereign
country and its people have a right to decide for themselves, without the
exploitation of ‘humanitarian’ ideals covering an ugly desire for intervention
and political expediency.
Source: rt.com
https://www.rt.com/news/584740-iranian-women-fight-propaganda-war/
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/iran-mahsa-eu-human-rights/d/130912