Statement number 3:

Countdown to the outburst that is on the way

A storm is approaching and the reverse counting of the struggle promises our visits and our struggle. We are preparing once again to occupy the streets on the occasion of the 8th March the day of the international women’s struggle, to echo ever more loudly the voice of resistance and courageous struggles of Iranian women. On the 40th anniversary of the 5 days uprising of women in Iran against ‘the decree of compulsory Hijab’  on 8th March 1979, we are going to commemorate and echo the struggles of those revolutionary women against compulsory Hijab, in the streets of Germany (Hamburg), Netherland (Den hag) and Belgium (Brussels) on 6th , 7th and 8th March 2019 and it is to rediscover the roots of ‘Women of the Revolution Street’ ( the women who defied the compulsory Hijab, these women started  their struggle from  the ‘Revolution street’ in Tehran and because of that are known as the women of the Revolution Street, this struggle that started in December 2017 and January 2018 spread to various part of Tehran and Iran is still going on by groups and individual women)  and the  scion that fearlessly started to grow, stand on its forceful historic  roots. We are going to find our alliance and channel the stream of women’s struggle in Iran to the sea of the world’s women struggle.

Our steps towards the struggle is accelerating every moment to uncover the tone of the Iranian people’s struggle against Islamic regime and speed it up. We are going to resonate the forty years of resistance and struggle of Iranian women for their most basic rights against one the most contemporary anti-women regime in the world.  We are preparing to fascinate and reflect ever more the strength of workers struggle, the bravery of students struggle, the unceasing struggles of teachers… and the rebellion of the women in Iran.

Why on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of women’s struggle?

Because the women’s uprising in 1979, is a golden chapter of the hundred years of women’s struggle in Iran and an indication of a real leap in the Iranian women’s movement against gender oppression. Because the women were the first target of the Islamic fundamentalists who had just seized the power and in order to consolidate their Islamic power they tried to push the women to the closet. But women were the first social groups that grasped the backward nature of this newly empowered regime and struggled against the assault on their basic rights and with their struggle not only exposed the state’s control on women’s body but by chanting ‘we didn’t make revolution to go backward’ they conveyed a concentrated and effective manifestation from the part of the whole society against Islamic fundamentalists. However the struggle of the women against the compulsory Hijab was unaided due to the deviation, doubts and the silence of the other revolutionary political forces and at the end it was suppressed, but the new women’s movement with this struggle was born. For the first time in the history of the Iranian movement, women who always had actively participated in the struggles, independently and outside the umbrella of other political-social forces put forward the issue of the gender oppression concretely and fought for it.

In the 40th anniversary of these all bravery and resistance, we are going to be the voice of all those women and their determination and advancement and apart from the distortion of the main stream media, we are going to be the loud voice of the forty years of the revolutionary liberating demand of the Iranian women against the anti-women regime of Islamic regime.

Why the advancement of women’s movement can not be limited to women and the women’s movement?

Because the Islamic regime has lost its legitimacy due to the deep political- social-economic crisis and due to its internal conflict and international pressures and also because of the struggle of workers, toilers and all oppressed classes.   Women not only with their large number but also with their qualitative impact have had a courageous present in all these struggles but the scattered struggles of women against gender oppression has not found its independent, mass organization. Women and other social and class movements should be able to apply the historical lessons of 1979 uprising from this moment. The women’s struggle against gender oppression not only does not negate the struggle against the other forms of oppression and exploitation, but also the advancement of the women’s movement can only be ensured by putting forward the women’s demand in women’s movement and other social movements. Today the strengthening and organizing the revolutionary women’s movement is the key in unleashing the women’s outrage and discontent in all social movements. By putting forward the women’s demand in these movements it would pave the way for interconnection and interrelation between women’s movement and other social movements and would help finding the common roots of the struggles against all sorts of oppression and struggles.  

Why and how to join the international women movements?

Presenting women’s body as commodity and displaying it for sale from one side and concealing it under the compulsory Hijab on the other side have both the same nature and both consider it as a sex object in one place the male chauvinism orders its concealing and in another place in the pornography industry and in sex trades present it on sale. As a result the women’s struggle in Iran against the compulsory Hijab and other forms of violence against women is not separated from the global struggle of women against male chauvinism of the capitalist system. For the very same reason we consider our struggle part of women’s advancement in a world scale and in particular in the Middle East.

Why the international solidarity is needed?

Due to the intensification of the social-economic and political crisis of Islamic regime and the escalation of the contradiction with the US, the sanction and the (neo- liberalists) contention among the imperialists, the people and specifically the most basic masses and in particular the women will be the main sections who will suffer the most. At the same time both reactionary sides are trying to impose this idea that there are only two choices either the slavery of neo liberalism (sanction, war and imperialist’s intervention) or Islamic fundamentalism. However we know that while these two forces are in conflict but at the same time they have common interests and can coexist with each other and the people have no influence on their political decisions as the people of Iraq and Afghanistan did not have. For the very same reason the Iranian people and in particular women have no need the so called international savior nor the Islamic fundamentalists. What they need is the solidarity of people of the world. They need that their voice to be resonated by the progressive and revolutionary forces and in particular the women and the people of the world stand next to the struggle of the people of Iran.

Why to struggle against compulsory Hijab?

We are well aware that the struggle against the gender oppression cannot be limited to the struggle against violence on women and the struggle against violence cannot be limited to the struggle against the compulsory Hijab. But in Iran, the compulsory Hijab is at the heart of the state violence against women and is a symbol and an ideological base of a theocratic state. It is the main mechanism to control the body and the sexuality of women and consolidating the subjugation of women by the Islamic capitalist state.

For this reason by mobilizing and organizing the masses around compulsory Hijab and strengthening and deepening the struggle of women against the compulsory Hijab, it would be possible to target other features of violence against women such as anti-women laws and the punishments that are based on Islamic Sharia law. Then by continuing such a path the unity of the women’s struggle around the source of these obvious state violence and also a leap forward for the women’s movement would become a possibility. That is why we are going to link the channels of struggles against compulsory Hijab and other forms of violence on women to the struggle against Islamic regime as the main cause of subjugation of women in Iran.

The meaning and the concept of the solidarity is that in any possible way helping the 3 days march of the Iranian women campaign (Karzar) to be as successful as possible.

Stand with the women who are relying on their own force and the commitment they have to their 40 years just struggle against one of the most vicious anti-women regime in the world.

Stand with the women who want to be the loud voice of oppressed but they know that this struggle will not be realized without a full struggle against gender oppression from very this moment and everywhere in the world.

Stand with the women who want to continue their struggle against compulsory Hijab and other forms of gender oppression in the service of the revolutionary overthrowing of Islamic republic and all their imperialists backers. This is a beginning for the liberation of women and all the oppressed from the dominant system of oppression and exploitation.

Join the women campaign to struggle state, social and domestic violence against women in Iran (Karzar) and convey our call to all the progressive forces and the individuals from any walk of the life.

Stand with us in 3 days march and make the voice of the Iranian women louder.

‘The campaign to fight state, social and domestic violence against women in Iran’

29 January 2019

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