Roja Bandari, Iranian Feminist Activist, Visits the FMF

The Feminist Majority Foundation had the opportunity to meet and speak with Roja Bandari from the One Million Signatures campaign for lunch on Tuesday afternoon. It was an immense pleasure to hear her perspective on the recent Iranian protests and to gain a greater understanding of the women’s rights movement in Tehran.

A recent speaker at the Global Day of Action for Iran on July 25th at UCLA, Roja herself is an admirable feminist. After moving to the United States nine years ago, she powerfully and effectively has become a woman with a clear agenda, one that seeks to bring liberty to her Iranian counterparts. Roja, with great respect and passion, is challenging the barriers that exist for Iranian women by utilizing and communicating with Iranian citizens living in Los Angeles.

At the meeting, Roja discussed how important it is for the world to recognize the solidarity and courage the women’s rights leaders of Iran hold. In particular, The One Million Signatures campaign seeks to appeal to the Iranian government to revise certain laws that prohibit and restrict women’s rights. This unique and transparent face-to-face campaign allows Iranian feminists (both in Iran and all over the world) to discuss gender inequalities that exist in their country and their quest to change these discriminations.

Unfortunately, the battle for equality in Iran is truly a vicious struggle for Roja and other Iranian feminists. In October 2008, Roja’s friend, Esha Momeni, was arrested and detained in Iran. A journalism student at California State University at Northridge, Esha traveled to Iran to collect primary source material for her thesis on the Iranian women's rights movement. While there, she also became a volunteer for the One Million Signatures campaign.

On October 15, 2008 Esha was pulled over by undercover security forces and taken to a high-security prison. She was held in solitary confinement for over a month and her historical footage of the revolutionary women’s movement was stripped from her. Thankfully, Esha was released on bail in November 2008, but she was not allowed to leave Iran until a few days ago. From our lunch meeting, Roja went straight from the FMF office to meet Esha at LAX, a reunion that has been long overdue.

While Esha’s return is cause for great celebration, countless women and men still remain in prison for expressing their desire to change a discriminatory system. Roja’s courage, alongside all other Iranian feminist activists like Esha, continues to inspire us and remind us that feminism transcends the invisible boundaries of the world. The struggle to obtain women’s rights in Iran is our struggle too. We support these activists and stand in unity with them.

Show solidarity with Iranian people this weekend!

On July 25th, major human rights organizations are coordinating a Global Day of Action for Human Rights in Iran. This global event is so that people can show their solidarity and demand respect for the rights of Iranian people. It's time that the wishes and rights of the Iranian people are respected, and the government is able resolve issues without violence.

Events are being held in several major US cities:

-San Diego: July 24, 6-8pm at Balboa Park (1900 Park Blvd, San Diego)

-San Francsico: July 25, 12-4pm at City Hall

-Chicago: July 25, noon at Federal Plaza at Dearborn and Adams St.

-New York City: July 25, 12:30pm. There's a march starting at Times Square (41st and 7th Ave.)

-D.C.: July 25. At 4pm there's a demonstration at the UN office (corner of 18th and K). A march begins at 5:15 to the Constitutional Gardens. Then, there's a rally at the Gardens (19th and Constitution) with several notable speakers.

This looks like an amazing opportunity for us to show our support of the courageous Iranian women and men who have been fighting so hard for their rights. If you want more information, go to http://www.united4iran.org/.

Photo courtesy of http://www.flickr/fhashemi

Newsday Tuesday: June 30 Edition

This week was definitely a sad week in the world of entertainment. On Tuesday, we lost TV personality and Tonight Show announcer Ed McMahon, 86, to bone cancer and pneumonia.

The following Thursday, both actress Farrah Fawcett, 62, and "King of Pop" Micheal Jackson, 50, passed away. Fawcett was battling anal cancer and known best for her role in the 1970s TV show Charlie's Angels. Jackson, who's death is still under investigation, is the pop phenomenon who has sold more albums than any other artist, including his biggest hit "Thriller," and has had a career that has spanned over 4 decades.

Then last Sunday, Billy Mays, 50, was found dead in his home, apparently due to a heart condition. Mays's claim to fame is as spokesperson for such products as "OxiClean," "Orange-Glo," and other household products. All of these people will be very missed and their impact on the entertainment community will not be forgotten.

Back to the world of feminism, a lot has been going on. So lets get a quick recap of the highlights for the week.

Education
Last Tuesday, on the 37th anniversary of Title IX, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced that millions of dollars in grants will be awarded to improve girls' proficiency in math and science.

Neera Desai, PhD, a pioneer of women's studies in India, died of cancer at age 84 this week. Dr. Desai founded India's first women's studies program, the Research Center for Women's Studies at SNDT Women's University in Mumbai.

National
Vice President Joe Biden announced the appointment of Lynn Rosenthal as the first ever White House Advisor on Violence Against Women last Friday (which our president, Ellie Smeal, was in attendance of). Vice President Biden is a strong advocate for fighting domestic violence, as he co-authored the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA).

The US Supreme Court ruled Thursday that the strip-search of 13-year old student Savana Redding at her Arizona public school was unconstitutional. Redding was accused of bringing ibuprofen to school, which is banned under the school's drug policy. The school's principal sent her to the nurse's office, where she was stripped down to her bra and underpants. The Court ruled that Redding's Fourth Amendment rights had been violated.

On Thursday, Attorney General Eric Holder testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee urging passage of the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009. The bill, which passed in the House in April, would allow for "federal prosecution of violence undertaken because of the actual or perceived gender, disability, sexual orientation or gender identity of any person."

States
Virginia - A 2008 court decision which declared unconstitutional a Virginia ban on a specific abortion procedure was overturned Thursday in a split 6 to 5 decision.

Arizona - The Arizona State Senate on Thursday passed a restrictive anti-choice bill that requires minors to receive notarized parental consent prior to an abortion.

Africa
A lawsuit is being filed against the Namibian government as at least fifteen HIV-positive women were forcibly sterilized. The International Community of Women Living with HIV/AIDS has documented cases that indicate that the women were coerced into signing documents consenting to their sterilization.

Following a failed prison break where 20 women were brutally raped in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) late Sunday, it is apparent that rape is being used as a weapon of war more and more in the Congo. Since the war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo began in 1998, tens of thousands of women and girls have been raped in sexual violence widely viewed to be a war tactic

Iran
Women are starting to play a major role in the public uprising after the Irani elections several weeks ago. Several U.S. reporters are arguing that women's increased role in politics is making women more of a major factor in the current political arena. This is also causing the needs and interests of women to become more and more important on the political agenda.

Media
L'Oreal was found guilty this week of racial discrimination in hiring by France's highest court. The suit claimed that L'Oreal employees were told to look for "BBR" women – a common euphemism used to describe white French people of white French descent. The company has been fined €30,000 and is required to pay an additional €30,000 to SOS Racisme, an anti-racism group who helped to bring the suit. Read more about this in a past blog post.

FMF Interns: in Solidarity with the Women of Iran

On Tuesday, June 23, summer interns stood in solidarity with the protesters of Iran in one of the largest Los Angeles demonstrations since the election results in Iran. This demonstration continues to take place near UCLA.

Sidewalks are filled with flags, signs and people wearing green (a symbol of peace and the signature campaign color of Mir Hossein Mousavi). Hundreds of individuals, many of them Persian, crowded the intersection, chanting both in Farsi and English. Drivers honked and gave peace signs in solidarity.

Above: FMF and Ms. Interns, Marianna Nash, Eva McKend, Jenna Leahy and Anita Lederer (left to right).

Feminist Majority Interns showed their support for Iranian women by holding signs which stated, “We stand in solidarity with the women of Iran.” One woman in particular has become a hero to us and the world. Her name is Neda Agha Soltan. Militiaman shot her in the chest during a protest on June 20, a murder which was caught on tape and posted internationally on the internet. She has become a symbol for this fight for freedom.

By now, most have seen the powerful images of Iranian women fighting for their ideals alongside men; their presence has become an integral part of Iranian protests. Nayereh Tohidi, chair of the Gender and Women’s Studies department at California State University, Northridge observed, "Women have become primary agents of change in Iran.”

In a country where the laws of divorce, polygamy, custody, inheritance, and crime are grotesquely biased toward men, women still have far to go in a quest for freedom. Sixty-three percent of college students in Iran are women, yet it is almost impossible for women to access public sector jobs. Therefore, as one demonstration sign said, the current Iranian protests are “not about an election, but a revolution.”

Since 2006, the women’s movement in Iran has been building with demonstrations and international petitions. The One Million Signatures Campaign was created in order to bring attention to women’s discrimination in Iran and to petition Iranian Parliament to revise their current gender-biased laws. The Campaign uses face-to-face and international campaigning to demand reforms in divorce, marriage, polygamy and guardianship. Since the beginning of the campaign, many women have protested in the streets, as they are now.

JOIN THE ONE MILLION SIGNATURES CAMPAIGN NOW!

One Iranian protester declared, "I see lots of girls and women in these demonstrations. They are all angry, ready to explode, scream out and let the world hear their voice.” Mavis Leno, chair of the Feminist Majority Foundation’s Afghan Women and Girls Campaign, alluded to this passion on Larry King Live on Monday, June 22. In the name of freedom, Iranian women are pushing their headscarves back, allowing their faces, anger and fervor to be seen.

Women are taking an active role in the streets of Tehran to demand equality. Their perseverance and bravery continue to inspire us across an ocean. It was an honor to demonstrate in solidarity with them.

STAND IN SOLIDARITY WITH THE WOMEN OF IRAN. SIGN THE ONE MILLION SIGNATURES CAMPAIGN NOW.

Download Mavis Leno’s Appearance on Larry King Live for free with itunes:

For more information, please visit these sights:
http://bitchmagazine.org/post/twitter-women-and-protest-in-iran
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/5596869/Zahra-Rahnavard-takes-leadership-role-in-Irans-opposition-movement.html
http://ncr-iran.org/content/view/6544/1/

Women in Action: Iran's Second Wave?

I've been following the situation in Iran over that past couple weeks as I write about it for FMF's Feminist Newswire. For me one of the most intriguing aspects of the pre- and post- election politics is the incredible importance of the women's rights movement. This aspect of the situation is not readily evident in most media coverage of the turmoil, but our FMF Global Programs Coordinator, Anushay Hossain, has kept me up to date with news reports that show how women are shaping the political landscape of Iran.

First of all, women's rights were a big issue in the presidential race. Women make up about half the electorate in Iran, and Ahmadinejad's administration had good reason to fear that they would use their votes to elect a reformist candidate who would support granting women more rights. The Christian Science Monitor's Editorial Board went so far as to suggest in an excellent op-ed that this fear may have motivated the alleged election fraud: "The [women's] movement's courage to confront the patriarchal theocracy (in which 'morality police' still roam the streets looking for women with make-up) may have been a big reason why the regime rigged the vote count--and why supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was forced to make a show of ordering a probe of the fraud."

In short, women's desire for equality is a powerful force in Iran, and it's making the government extremely nervous. Journalist Diane Tucker agrees with this assessment: "The regime in Iran obviously feels threatened by peaceful female activism. They branded as illegal the One Million Signatures Campaign initiated by women's rights groups in Iran, a campaign to change discriminatory laws against women...Dozens of women involved in the effort have been harassed or jailed by the government."

Of course, the current police violence in Iran shows just how much Ahmadinejad's regime feels threatened by protesters, women and men. Annie Applebaum writes: "The Iranian clerics know that women pose a profound threat to their authority, too: As the activist Ladan Boroumand has written, the regime would not bother to brutally repress dissidents unless it feared them deeply."

These analyses emphasize just how relevant and powerful the fight for women's equality is in Iran and around the world. Here in the US many young women believe feminism is passe; our generation was born a decade after the Second Wave movement and we tend to take its hard-won victories (and those of the First Wave) for granted. Many never give a second thought to the grassroots organizing, courtroom battles, and debates in the halls of Congress that got us to where we are now.

Now, we are all witnesses to an extremely high-stakes struggle for rights in Iran. Luckily the US women's movement progressed peacefully; it seems that change in Iran might come only after a protracted and violent struggle with the government.

If you're interested in learning more about the women's movement in Iran pre-election, check out this engaging article by UK journalist Katherine Butler. I also recommend the graphic novel memoir and film Persepolis, in which Iranian ex-pat Marjane Satrapi details her childhood spent under the oppressive atmosphere of the Iranian revolution.

Newsday Tuesday: June 23 Edition

Welcome back for the hard hitting feminist news for the week of June 16 through June 23.


This week, we have officially welcomed the start of Summer (on Sunday, June 21), also known as the Summer Solstice, which is the longest day of the year. Let's find out what has been going on elsewhere in the country and around the globe.


Big news in the feminist world was the election of the new NOW president, Terry O'Neill. It was a tight race between O'Neill and opponent Latifa Lyles, who is the current NOW Membership Vice President. O'Neill will be replacing NOW president Kim Gandy, who has served in this position for the last 8 years.

Global Elections

• Egypt - The Egyptian parliament passed a law on Sunday that reserves 64 seats exclusively for women in the lower house of the legislature. This law is geared towards giving Egyptian women a voice in the Egyptian government, following the terms outlined International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), which Egypt has signed.

• Iran - Shirin Ebadi, an Iranian human rights leader, wants the recent presidential election results to be voided and to have a new vote be held. Ebadi is also calling for the release of people who were arrested for challenging to the election results and to end violence against other protesters of the past election.

US Politics

• The Washington, DC Board of Elections and Ethics rejected a proposed referendum that would have allowed voters to decide whether the District will recognize same-sex marriages performed out-of-state.

• On Wednesday, President Obama signed a presidential memorandum expanding benefits to same-sex partners of federal workers. This would allow civil service employees to take leave to tend to sick partners, add them to a long-term care program, and including the partners of Foreign Service workers in housing assignments and medical evaluations. However, the memorandum has come under some scrutiny for being limited in the benefits that it guarantees.

• Also on Wednesday, The House Appropriations Committee Subcommittee for State and Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee approved the single largest increase ever in funding for international family planning and reproductive health programs. The subcommittee approved $648 million for these programs. This marks a 40 percent increase in funding over the past two years. The funding includes $588 million for USAID programs and a $60 million contribution to the UN Population Fund.

Global Violence Against Women

• South Africa - According to a survey by the Medical Research Foundation (MRC), one in four men in South Africa have admitted to committing rape. There were 1,738 respondents to the survey and almost half claim that they have assaulted more than one individual. The study also found that men who commit violence against women are less likely to use condoms and are twice as likely to be HIV-positive.

• China - A court in the Hubei Province of China ruled this week against penalizing 21-year-old Deng Yujiao, a waitress who fatally stabbed a Communist Party official who was attempting to rape her. Her release was based on the fact that Deng acted in self-defense, surrendered to police, and had limited criminal responsibility due to manic depression.

• Peru - A 16-year-old Peruvian rape survivor filed a petition with the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) against Peru Thursday. The petition alleges that the failure of the Peruvian government to adequately enforce existing laws on abortion led to the anonymous survivor's paralysis.

Enjoy the start to your summer everyone! Time to grab that sunscreen and your favorite book and head outside to enjoy the beautiful weather. Not sure what to read? The Feminist Campus website has a great list of some fabulous summer reading.