International Women’s Day was marked on March 8, an occasion for people worldwide to reflect on the situation of women and progress toward gender equality. In Iran, women have been fighting for over a century to attain equality, paying a high price for their freedom.
Iranian women have become a driving force in society and particularly in the revolution to topple the ruling misogynistic regime. A recent international conference held in Belgium highlighted their struggle and how their eventual victory would be a significant breakthrough for the global women’s rights movement.
The conference was attended by renowned female politicians and accomplished women who shared their thoughts and experiences. Among them was Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, former German Minister of Defense (2019-2021), who praised Iranian women’s power and described it as a sign of humanity and determination that goes beyond Iran’s borders. Kramp-Karrenbauer rejected claims in the West that Iranian women’s demands were limited to abolishing mandatory veiling or replacing the clerical regime with the deposed monarchy. Instead, she stressed that Iranian women were fighting for a fundamental human right, the right to shape their lives as they want.
Kramp-Karrenbauer rejected claims in the West that Iranian women’s demands were limited to abolishing mandatory veiling or replacing the clerical regime with the deposed monarchy.
Other speakers at the conference emphasized that Iranian women’s struggle was not limited to the issue of the compulsory hijab, but to freedoms, fundamental rights, gender equality, minority rights, and an end to the violence by the regime. The former UN Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women, Prof. Yakın Ertürk, underlined Iranian women’s role in the 1979 anti-monarchial revolution and the revolution in the making in the country. Dominique Attias, President of the European Law Society Federation, stated that Iranian women must be free to choose their clothing, including wearing or not wearing the veil, and that the laws that violate women’s rights must be abolished.
Prof. Yakın Ertürk underlined Iranian women’s role in the 1979 anti-monarchial revolution and the revolution in the making in the country.
The conference’s keynote speaker was President-elect Maryam Rajavi of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), and the first female secretary-general of Iran’s principal opposition group, the People’s Mojahedin of Iran (PMOI/MEK) from 1989 to 1993. Rajavi has paved the way for female members of the MEK to take leading positions in the movement. Candice Bergen Harris, a former Canadian Member of Parliament and the Leader of Canada’s Conservative Party (2022), spoke of the women in MEK whom she described as having sacrificed much for a greater calling.
The conference highlighted that Iranian women had fought for their freedom for over a century, and their struggle was not just limited to the issue of the compulsory hijab. They were fighting for fundamental human rights, gender equality, minority rights, and an end to the violence by the regime.
MEK Iran (follow us on Twitter and Facebook), Maryam Rajavi’s on her site, Twitter & Facebook, NCRI (Twitter & Facebook), and People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran – MEK IRAN – YouTub