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“This is the first feminist and political rally I attended”

来源:The Conversation   更新:2022-11-27 16:14:33   作者:Nan
“This is the first feminist and political rally I attended”

 

Iranians at the University of Ottawa held a protest over the death of 22-year-old Iranian woman Mahsa Amini in September, 2022. (Photo by Nan)

 

(Editor’s note: Nan, a young Chinese feminist who attended a rally against the Iranian state’s policy on hijabs and for women’s rights and political freedom by Irianians at the University of Ottawa after the death of Iranian woman Mahsa Amini in September. In the following article, she shares her observations, feelings, and reflections on Iranians’ protests as a feminist.)


I started to follow the Mahsa Amini matter on my Iranian classmate's Instagram. She reposted a photo of an Iranian woman lying in a hospital bed who seemed lifeless with an oxygen tube attached to her. My Iranian classmate strongly condemned the morality police who enforces the hijab law in Iran. Two days later, when I clicked on her Instagram story again, I found that the woman lying on the hospital bed had passed away. Afterwards, my classmate began to repost news about Iranian protests. The protesters gathered on the streets, took off their hijabs, cut their hair, and lit their hijabs on fire. Iranian women expressed their endless anger in various ways. Women's anger is extremely powerful. Over the next few days, many protests erupted across Iran in honour of Mahsa Amini as well as in protest of Iranian state's brutal oppression of women and oppressive politics. Soon, Iranians around the world held rallies in solidarity with their compatriots who were protesting in Iran. I watched many videos of the protests: Women held up their cut hair in the air and chanted "Women, Life, Freedom"; women threw their hijabs into a fire and danced around it; women walked in the streets courageously with placards fighting for women's rights they were supposed to enjoy. After watching these videos, I shed so many tears. On the one hand, I truly relate to how hard it is to fight against patriarchy and cruel government, and on the other hand, I was deeply inspired by the courage and solidarity of Iranian women. Thus, I sent a message to my Iranian classmate telling her that many Chinese feminists are also concerned about the situation in Iran and support them. She was touched and told me that it was the first time that Iranian women’s voices were being heard. I decided to attend the rally the Iranians were holding at my university. Even though I would be there as a spectator or outsider in some sense (e.g. different ethnical and religious backgrounds), I decided to go because I wanted to show my support to them.

 

 

Iranians at the University of Ottawa held a protest over the death of 22-year-old Iranian wowan Mahsa Amini in September, 2022. (Photo by Nan)

 

There were so many Iranians at the rally that day. Perhaps most of the Iranian students were there. Someone lit candles and played music in memory of Mahsa Amini; someone handed out leaflets to passersby and asked them to pay attention to what was happening in Iran; someone had made quite a number of placards with images of burning hijabs, pictures of Mahsa Amini, and slogans written in Farsi and English. Then people started chanting protest slogans. I stood in the crowd quietly. The woman in front of me was chanting "Women's rights in Iran" while waving her clenched right fist in the air. Her frame is small, but her voice was strong. Her right hand was slightly white at the joints due to overexertion. I knew that she was angry and understood that she needed to chant and swing her fist hard to express all her emotions.

 

 

Iranians at the University of Ottawa held a protest over the death of 22-year-old Iranian woman Mahsa Amini in September, 2022. (Photo by Nan)

 

 

Iranians at the University of Ottawa held a protest over the death of 22-year-old Iranian woman Mahsa Amini in September, 2022. (Photo by Nan)

 

I didn't chant along with them, but I was observing the people around me, especially the women at the rally. I looked into their eyes, which were filled with grief and anger, and some of them were in tears. Women hugged and comforted each other. I do not see tears as an expression of vulnerability. I believe when all the tears and chanting come together, things may change. Women's collective tears are the bonds of women's mutual support and encouragement that can foster sisterhood. These types of sisterhood will bring about more actions and movements.

 

 

Iranians at the University of Ottawa held a protest over the death of 22-year-old Iranian woman Mahsa Amini in September, 2022. (Photo by Nan)


Before I attended the rally, I had thought it would be just a feminist gathering for women’s rights. When I got there, I realized that the demands of the Iranians were not only concentrated on women's rights and freedom, but also about the changes in the current political situation and social circumstances in Iran. The harsh rule of a theocratic state has deprived Iranians of democracy and freedom, so they were also opposing the dictatorial government in Iran.


This reminds me of the slogan “personal is political” in the second-wave feminist movement. Politics is everywhere. Both in women's individual lives (like the misery of Mahsa Amini) and the collective experience of women are related to politics. We should think about how they interact with the larger and broader social and political structures so that we can gain insight into the overlapping and intersecting power structures, observe more systemic inequalities, and regard them as a starting point for exploring solutions.


Participating in rallies, expressing dissidence, and protesting peacefully are supposed to be the freedom and democratic rights that every citizen should enjoy. However, it is not easy to overcome the inner fear to participate in civic activities when these rights are deprived and criminalized. I feel the fear so profoundly in the deepest part of my being that it makes me self-censor all the time, even when I am in Canada. But I never regret being here. This is the first feminist and political rally I attended. The role as an "outsider" eased my fears. I was also very glad I was here because when I stood in the crowd, even though I was not an insider, there was a silent energy in the crowd that connected me with the Iranian women and Iranians who were fighting for freedom and justice. From them, I have gained the courage to act, and I look forward to freedom and hope.


(Edited by Yafang Shi and Tiziana Knox)

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