On the occasion of the anniversary of the inception of the “Women, Life, Freedom” movement, the Islamic regime deployed a substantial military presence in an attempt to instill fear among the populace. The citizens, however, keenly assess the distribution of power but have shed their apprehension. They no longer live in fear, but they are acutely aware that a formidable and challenging struggle lies ahead.
The Campaign to Free Political Prisoners in Iran (CFPPI) has released a damning report on the alarming increase in cases of abduction, torture, and killing of children by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in Iran. The report highlights the worsening situation since September 2022, following the death of Mahsa (Jina) Amini while in government custody.
Iranian parliament members suggest that if the Taliban continues to restrict women’s education, Iran’s universities can assist them. However, they also suggest that the availability of education should be balanced with existing resources and conditions, and private universities could be a viable option for women’s education. In Iran, the government has been promoting the privatization of education for years. While Taliban deny education to women in Afghanistan, the Islamic Republic of Iran may permit them to receive study visas and attend private schools and colleges, as long as they can afford it.
The head of the Judicial Commission of the Islamic Council of Iran has announced an alarming development: non-compliance with the hijab will soon result in an SMS warning, followed by fines and the blocking of the offender’s national ID card, rendering them unable to access social services until the imposed fine is paid. This plan is being unveiled at a time when reports from Iran indicate that many women have been emboldened to shed the mandatory hijab, particularly following widespread protests.
A global network of feminist collectives and activists, known as “Feminists for Jina,” is amplifying the voice of the ongoing “Jin, Jiyan, Azadî” Revolution in Iran and working to strengthen its transnational elements. The group comprises individuals from diverse backgrounds and perspectives, united in their goal to fight for equality and freedom.
In a powerful display of collective action, teachers across Iran have taken to the streets to demand the safety and security of female students in their schools. Undeterred by the repressive forces and uniforms of the Islamic Council in Tehran, these educators have rallied in dozens of cities, from Mashhad to Isfahan, to decry the spread of chemical attacks on their students.
The “Women, Life, Freedom” movement, which involved removing the hijab, tearing pictures of Khamenei and Khomeini, and chanting slogans mostly in girls’ schools, has infuriated the regime to such an extent that they have given the green light to use their powers to retaliate against this uprising. This is a longstanding behavior in the history of the Islamic Republic, with examples including serial murders, gang killings, and acid attacks against women in Isfahan. These actions are deeply disturbing and cause terror among the people.
The demands presented in this charter encompass a range of social, political, and economic changes necessary for Iran. These demands seek to establish rights such as free expression, equal opportunities for women and LGBTQ+ community, better working conditions, job security, and an end to discrimination and corruption. The signatories of this charter hold the belief that the Iranian people can accomplish these changes with their abundant resources and educated populace. They also view such progress as essential for a prosperous future.
Here we talk about Marxist aesthetics, which does not examine a mechanical opposition of form and substance or the primacy of spirit over matter, and neither it examines the objective and subjective aspects of phenomena separate from each other; but, as a unique aesthetic, tries to examine the relationship between parts and the totality, the general and the particular features of things to make [these relationships] visible to those who cannot see it otherwise. For a better cognition of phenomena, we need a Kantian aesthetics of power of judgment. Therefore, in Marxist aesthetics, one can find traces of Kant’s idealistic aesthetics elaborated in his book the Critique of the Power of Judgment.
The revolutionary rise of “Women, Life, Freedom” has resulted in opposition from workers, women activists, and young people seeking freedom and equality not just against the capitalist government, but also against the manufacturing pro-Western leaders and alternatives. The freedom and equality movement seeks nothing less than the end of capitalist rule and the achievement of happiness and freedom.
In the early days of the Zhina uprising and the Zhin, Zhian, Azadi movement, Baloch women joined forces with their sisters to fight against religious fundamentalism and misogynistic society in Baluchistan/Iran. They demanded gender equality, recognition of female identity, and participation in Baloch nationalism and public life. This movement evolved over time, influenced by the religious views and interpretations of Balochistan’s leaders regarding feminism and nationalism.
Recently, a TV debate on women’s rights in Iran has caused controversy. Dr. Maryam Nasr, a member of the Women’s Studies Department at the Research Institute of Humanities and Cultural Studies, and a clergyman named Majid Dehghan, a faculty member at the Women and Family Research Institute, discussed the topic of “Sovereignty and Gender Issues” on a television program.
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