“Woman, Life, Freedom!” The Feminist voice of Iran

There is no doubt that the current uprising in Iran is at the forefront of Feminist Discourse and Activism. However, the women’s hair cutting and scarf burning is indicative of a bigger issue than that of Hijab.

Now that Mahsa Amini’s killing by Iran’s morality police and the subsequent women’s led demonstrations has gained international attention, I think it crucial to speak about what makes this uprising a global issue.

What this uprising is highlighting is the all too common (yet normalized) pressure of living under, with and within oppressive systems that rob people of their opportunities to flourish.

Today’s Iranian “Woman, Life, Freedom” slogan is 1969’s American “My body my choice”, and is exposing yet again the shadow of the old beast at play: Patriarchal Tyranny.

Patriarchal Tyranny is a global curse inflicting violence upon most of the world’s population, including the citizens of seemingly free countries. The fact of the matter is that nearly everyone is oppressed by the corrupt systems born of this beast; systems that define the norms and shape the worldview of human beings. In countries like Iran, Patriarchal tyranny is in your face. It’s undeniable and felt at every corner and in every room. However, in places like the United States or in Europe, it can cleverly disguise itself under certain levels of freedom and comfort, and therefore be harder to recognize and defeat.

While it’s the turn of Iranian women to rage and revolt against Patriarchal tyranny and its oppressive systems, we need to realize and feel how we’re all (some more than others but all nonetheless) oppressed in the Colonial Capitalist Patriarchal paradigm. In this paradigm, the majority of the world’s population is dehumanized and suffers from lack, depletion, loneliness, anxiety or at best, frustration. And the further removed anyone is from the rich white heterosexual male identity, the more they suffer and struggle. If you ask me, I think the time is beyond ripe for a radical turning point as the next immediate thing on the horizon of our lives.

The killing of Mahsa Amini seems to have been the straw that broke the camel’s back for Iranians who’ve endured 43 years of gruesome dictatorship and oppression. But their shouts and screams are the shouts and screams of the Feminine inside of all of us; a Feminine so neglected and abused over countless centuries worldwide, that she’s raging yet again and ever so loud.

Through the patriarchal lens, Femininity is happily embraced and revered for her gentleness, patience and forgiveness. But what we seem to ignore is that under enough pressure, she has the potential to slay. This my sisters and brothers, is what we’re seeing in Iran right now: A Feminine who’s had it.

Iranian women (and the brave men who’ve taken to the streets with them) are risking their lives demanding more of their governing system. Actually, they want an entirely new system. This demand and need should by no means be seen as an isolated one; as theirs but not ours. A problem over there but surely not here. The Iranian uprising is an invitation for the rest of us to wake up, not only for their sake but for ours because we should all be asking more of our governing systems.

The fact of the matter is that the world economic system and its political, religious or environmental institutions and governing bodies are designed to oppress the masses (that’s me and you and the rest of the 99%) and dupe us to believe that our standards of living are normal and in some places even wonderful! But when the Feminine and all her embodied values rightfully return to our cultures and way of life, and the grip of Patriarchy let’s go of our necks, normal will mean entirely something else. Normal will mean safety for everyone; normal will mean access to clean water and nourishing foods, health care, education, a home to live in, travel, fun, joy and rest for everyone.

When, why and how have these normal needs become luxuries that only a minority gets to have?

Matriarchy is not the opposite of Patriarchy. Matriarchal models for living are egalitarian, community oriented, partnership inclined. Matriarchal societies were by no means societies in which the women ruled over the men. In fact, they had no rulers. They were societies in which the needs of the whole were taken into consideration when decisions about social structures were made.

The Iranian demand for a new paradigm should be everyone’s demand for a new paradigm. The Iranian passion and courage to turn over the page should extend to become ours as well. We must join in their battle for a world we all desire and deserve. The time is now and we’re the players. Whether you’ve caught on to it or not, the Feminine is returning and this time she’s coming with a vengeance. First she’s going to slay the beast, then she’s going to restore humanity’s sanity and redefine the norms.

The long forgotten and buried Goddess is resurrecting. Just as carbon turns to diamond under enough pressure, the docile Iranian girl has risen into a roaring wolf of a woman under the pressure of tyranny. She’s asking everyone of us now to resurrect our own inner wolf from the depth of our bodies, everywhere.

The new world we all deeply want is going to manifest when we finally say enough of systems that take and don’t replenish; enough of greed; enough of modern slavery and manipulation. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! It is time to all rise up to the status quo and co-create a new paradigm with systems that revere all life on this beautiful earth.

When we put a final end to the war against women’s bodies and make room for the Feminine in our way of being and living, the more beautiful world we envision will begin to reveal itself. Until then, we must rise, and raise our voices. Until then, there can be no rest.