It has been more than a month since the protests started in Iran following the killing of Mahsa Amini. Feminists in the diaspora have also mobilized quite actively in this process. The group in Berlin mobilized under the name “Feminists4Jina” talks about what they have done until now, how they have been feeling and how international solidarity can be strengthened.
It has been more than a month since the protests started in Iran following the killing of Mahsa Amini by the morality police on 17 September. Feminists in the diaspora have also mobilized quite actively in this process.
Yara from “Feminists4Jina”, diasporic feminist community in Berlin, is very happy and hopeful to have witnessed the first feminist revolution in Iran, albeit from a distance.
According to Yara, it is good that people are showing solidarity with what is happening in Iran, but it is not enough. “I think a really meaningful solidarity can be built by recognizing that what is happening in Iran is actually a result of patriarchy and that each of us is affected by it in different ways in our own places.”
You can read a part of the interview below:
Would you like to introduce yourself?
I am an Iranian feminist and researcher living in Germany. I migrated to Germany with my family at a young age about 20 years ago. Together with other feminists from Iran – as an activist and also as an academic – I work on issues such as forced hijab, femicide, sexual violence, etc. I consider myself a diaspora feminist because the way I relate to feminism stems from my life experience as a woman. Due to my experiences of confronting German nationalist society and racism with my family from a young age and my experiences as a woman, I realised that these two experiences go hand in hand in terms of discrimination and marginalisation. For this reason, I have focused on anti-colonialism and feminism in my academic work. I am researching the struggles of exiled women, especially Iranian, but also other Middle Eastern women, and what we can learn from these struggles.
How do you observe the role of the diaspora in this process?
My observation is that in many cases solidarity does not go beyond what is happening in Iran. People are showing their solidarity against the intense violence and injustice and what is happening in Iran, which is great, but I think a really meaningful solidarity can be built by recognizing that what is happening in Iran is actually a result of patriarchy and that each of us is affected by it in different ways in our own places. I mean, what we are seeing now is patriarchal system organizing itself through the state, through nationalism, through conservatism, through the populist right. We see this not only in the Middle East but also in Italy, Germany and other European countries. What is becoming more and more clear is that we can only fight against this problem together, by developing solidarities and partnerships with each other.
How did you feel when you first heard about the start of this uprising?
When I heard about Mahsa Amini’s murder, I felt indescribably angry, sad, and utterly helpless in the face of an injustice that knows no bounds. The compulsory hijab in Iran and the institutions put in place to enforce it had once again took a life of a woman, revealing yet another aspect of the Islamic state’s tyranny to discipline the bodies and lives of women and LGBTQIA+ people.
After the protests started, I could see that I was not alone in my anger and grief, people in Iran now feel the same thing regardless of their gender and ethnic identity, regardless of which city or background they come from, they are on the streets and they are saying enough is enough. We no longer accept the compulsory hijab and we no longer accept the Islamic Republic.
How are you feeling right now?
Today I have very different, sometimes conflicting feelings. On the one hand, of course, I feel extremely worried because of the violent suppression of the protests, the mass arrests and the war conditions, especially the violence in the Kurdistan and Baluchistan regions. Over 200 people have been killed so far, twenty of them are children. Many people have been kidnapped or imprisoned. This makes me feel sad and scared.
On the other hand, I am very happy, full of joy and hope, I am witnessing the first feminist revolution taking place in Iran, albeit from a distance. The fact that this movement is being led by the feminist slogan “Jin Jiyan Azadî”, the mass presence of women on the streets, the fact that this uprising started in Kurdistan region during the funeral of Amini and then spread throughout the country is really beautiful. All these aspects and peculiarities of this revolt make me sincerely believe that a revolution is underway in Iran and this makes me very happy.
What feeds your strength, your positive perspective?
As I said, the protests we are witnessing right now is a very unique moment. Of course, there have been riots in the past, but this is the first time we are witnessing such a feminist movement in Iran. I think this is something very special. The demands are feminist, being against the compulsory hijab is a feminist demand and wanting the Islamic Republic to be overthrown is also a feminist demand. That’s why we see so many women on the streets. There is an incredibly dense presence of women on the street. Another very good thing is that the slogan “Jin Jiyan Azadî” has become so massive in these protests and has used by everyone. All this makes this protest very strong and more special than other waves of protests. Therefore, even though we do not know what will happen in the future, it is enough for me to know that no matter what happens, this feminist rebellion has taken place and I can completely identify myself with it. The demands of this rebellion also touch my life in Germany. This gives me hope even across borders.
You can read the full article in Turkish here.
Source: Çatlak Zemin