Support women's struggles against compulsory Hijab in Iran!

We are approaching the March 8 International Women's Day, In the context of the people's uprising against Islamic Republic of Iran and the powerful and inspirational presence of women in it, that has demonstrated more than ever the passion of struggle, unity, solidarity and determination of the people that have nothing to lose. People, especially young people, rightly point to the whole regime, which is the main cause of poverty, unemployment, grave and street sleeping, prostitution, addiction, gender oppression, national oppression, class oppression and so on. The continuing struggles show that people, especially the most degraded and deprived, will not stop despite being harassed and intimidated, thousands of arrests, and the execution of young people.

We are approaching the International Women's Day, in the context in which 39 years of resistance and women's struggle against compulsory Hijab has sparked a new wave of women's opposition and brought them to the scene of street struggle. Right at the heart of this uprising, the symbolic protest of Vida Movahed (by publicly taking off her head scarf and waving it on stick), in a Street called Revolution, was a small but effective reflection of the anger that has been pressed for about four decades. One after another, women who have been imprisoned for about 40 years in a mobile prison called Hijab, this time challenged the Islamic patriarchal power relations. The courageous protest of these women, has become an inspirational struggle for other women and even men throughout the society. And it has seriously challenged the symbol and flag of the Islamic regime, which, since it took power, has been forced on women's bodies, by repression and force, razor and acid, arrest, imprisonment, torture, threats, humiliation and insult.

About 40 years ago, Khomeini built one of the most important foundations of his "Islamic Revolution" on women's Hijab and made it the symbol and ideological flag of their system. Especially since misogynist Khomeini and his allies, saw the presence of thousands of women in the struggle against the Shah's regime as a threat to their system and wanted to ‘‘put these genies back in to bottle’’. By declaring compulsory Hijab, the Islamic regime declared unequal relations as the basis of its sovereignty and that the regime was based on repression, discrimination, widespread violence and women's slavery. In the aftermath of the compulsory Hijab, they passed all other Islamic punishments and unequal laws against women and imposed on them by armed forces. The regime intended to force women to get used to being obedient, second class, fearful and unaccounted, humiliated and insulted, and thus alienate them from their identity and humanity. With compulsory  Hijab, this regime promoted an intensive patriarchal culture in the entire society, and gave men more privileged status and special place both in law and in culture and tradition more than before, so as to make women part of their own private property. The depth and breadth of this violence on women in a society that half are controlled by the other half, reflects patriarchal relations, which directly connects to the dominant production relation in the society.

Against the order of compulsory Hijab and the declaration of war on women from the new regime, tens of thousands of women, came to the streets on March 8 1979, and shout: "We did not make a revolution to go backward! "," Freedom is not eastern, nor western, it’s universal! ","women’s freedom is the scale of freedom in society" and so on, and that’s how these brave and progressive women built the foundations of the new women's movement. The 5-days women's protest against compulsory Hijab was the first massive and courageous campaign with religious government.

In all these years, women, especially young women, in various forms, voluntarily, individually and collectively, knowingly or spontaneously, have struggled in this unequal and one-sided war against compulsory Hijab and other forms of oppression and widespread violence against women. Women in prisons and under brutal torture, in the streets and in front of guidance patrol (morality police), at work, in schools and universities, in divorce and custody courts against discriminatory gender laws, in the family,… have resisted against forms of direct and indirect repression and control, and during all these years, refusing compulsory Hijab has been one of the most prominent areas for challenging the ruling power. Therefore this resistance force and historical struggle can not be reduced to just this period or a person.

in today's turbulent scene, where all class forces from the Us imperialists - with Trump/ Pence fascist regime on its top- to patriarchal imperialists of Europe and Russia, who each seek their short and long-term interests in Iran, it is imperative to remain conscious and struggle for women’s freedom and equality. We have witnessed the hollow, populist and highly opportunistic claims of these states to the struggles of the people and the role of women in it, reflecting their reactionary to exploit the struggles of the people, especially women.  These governments that are the main operators of the worldwide male-dominated imperialist system based on inequality, with gender inequality one of its foundations, and are now presenting themselves as "advocates" of people's protests and women's rights in Iran. This poisonous atmosphere and this widespread opportunism openly emphasize on the responsibility and the role of revolutionary activists and organizations and all women fighting for equality and freedom. The continuous disclosure of agenda and plans, that shape the future of the people especially women and determine how the struggle is progressing, is crucial.

presence of women in the recent uprising, in student and labour struggles, in front of the prison for the release of political prisoners, the resistance and struggle of women prisoners, and the brave protests of the ‘’Girls of Revolution Street’’, are all the achievements of this era to advance the women's movement. Particularly, as one of the most fundamental rights of women, the issue of fighting compulsory Hijab in confronting the Islamic Republic, and the emergence of a political conscious struggle in public even by individuals; out of everyday women’s resistance and struggle, must be one of the important achievements for women's movement at this time. But women need a quick and serious advance with targeted plans in order to sustain this achievement. Today, more than ever, a condition has emerged in which the younger generation, students, .. ... and all women who, for many years, showed their opposition to compulsory Hijab in their daily routines, not only can take their Hijab off in mass protests, in city and countryside, in the streets, protests and struggles, in order to impose right to wear in practice, but also to burn it as a symbol of the control of woman’s body in Islamic government to show their anger and hatred of a theocratic regime which has imposed the widest and most organized violence on women for the past forty years.

In the current situation, in which we still witness the massive presence of rebellious women who have challenged the whole system of the Islamic Republic of Iran, we have found it necessary to pass our 20 years of effort and experience to the new women's movement in order to build a ladder toward future advances, together. Let's not forget that without revolutionary women's organizations, with the goal of women’s freedom and equality, which serve the freedom of all the people from oppression and exploitation that has destroyed the lives of millions of people, a new society cannot be created after the overthrow of the Islamic Republic regime. It’s time for women to be united and organized and be at the forefront of a revolution that not only overthrow the Islamic Republic's Islamic regime, but also help to build a new society that is the beginning of the emancipation of women and society from oppression and exploitation.

8 march women’s organisation (Iran- Afghanistan)

8 March 2018

www.8mars.com

 zan_dem_iran@hotmail.com

https://facebook.com/8Mars.org