It is not hidden for us that the Islamic Republic in Iran, in the shadow of its war- mongering policies and by creating a militarized atmosphere, seeks to suppress social movements to overcome its crisis of legitimacy. The legitimacy that has definitely been lost in the revolutionary uprising of âWomen, Life, Freedom â. We believe that the war mongering policies of both the Iranian and Israeli governments are aimed at resolving their own legitimacy crises and escaping their internal challenges, which continue in
the form of proxy wars, ground wars, bombings, and missile strikes.
Following the recent missile launches by the Iranian government toward Israel in response to the assassination of IRGC leaders and its allied parties, retaliatory attacks by Israel have intensified. We can confidently say that any war against Iran will not only fail to bring democracy or liberation from the grip of the Islamic Republic, but will also destroy the achievements of social movements and the recent revolutionary uprising, leading to more destruction, more killings of peopleâespecially women and childrenâand the further igniting of wars across the region. This war will not bring democracy to the people of Iran and the region. The liberation from the repressive and execution-driven Islamic Republic will only be achieved through a revolutionary transformation by the people of Iran, in connection with the revolutionary struggles in the Middle East.
A year after the start of the brutal genocide in Gaza following the atrocity of October 7th, the face of the Middle East has changed. Israel has expanded its attacks to the West Bank, southern Lebanon and Yemen.
Gaza, with its hospitals and schools destroyed, has seen over 42,000 Palestinians killed and 96,000 injured, with the majority of whom are women and children. More than 46,000 pregnant Palestinian women in Gaza are at risk of starvation and are deprived of medical treatment and healthcare for
themselves and their children. The impact of the war in the Middle East on women has been profound and multifaceted, and with the increase in war-related violence, existing social and gender inequalities against women will be exacerbated. In the current difficult economic conditions, many women have
become the sole breadwinners for their families. According to reports from international sources, women in Gaza are generally subjected to violence and sexual abuse, including in Israeli prisons. The displacement of more than one million Palestinians imposes further harm on their lives, especially on
women and children. These are just a few examples of the devastating impact of war on the lives of women and children.
35 UN experts issued a statement on the anniversary of the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, and Israelâs attack on the Palestinian people, the genocide in Gaza, and the spread of war and violence to other occupied Palestinian territories and other countries in the region. They are calling for an end to the cycle of violence and immediate action to hold accountable those responsible for killings, hostage- taking, and sexual violence against women by both Hamas and Israel. In this statement, the experts called for a resolution to the crisis by âthe return of hostages to their homes, a halt to the bombings, and the delivery of urgent aid.â However, what remains unaddressed in this statement, as well as in all other statements, is the issue of the return of Palestinian refugees to their homeland. Until this is made possible, the cycle of violence will continue.
On the other hand, Israelâs genocide, which has been supported by the U.S. and the European Union, has led to the emergence of a strong solidarity movement with the Palestinian people in imperialist countries and other nations, something unprecedented in recent decades. This solidarity movement, despite brutal police repression and the crackdown on the student movement, has become a turning point in raising awareness among the younger generation.
Anti-Zionist Jewish organizations, such as Jewish Voice for Peace in the Middle East, in Europe and the U.S., are fighting against the crimes of the Israeli government and its colonial policies, and this is a hopeful sign.
We, 21 independent womenâs organizations with a feminist approach, are fighting to end violence and crimes against humanity in the Middle East and to combat the root causes of the crisis, which for over seven decades have continued to impose war and militarization on the region. Therefore, in defense of the right to life, the return of Palestinian refugees, and the establishment of peace in the region, we stand against dictatorship, colonialism, occupation, fundamentalism in all its forms, and imperialist
interventions, alongside the regionâs progressive movements, especially womenâs movements for fundamental change. This is without equating or overlooking the violence of Palestinian groups and the Israeli occupying army. Because the feminist approach opposes all forms of violence, gender and racial apartheid, and any kind of domination, we declare our solidarity with the women of the region while simultaneously continuing our fight for our own liberation with the slogan âWoman, Life, Freedomâ.
October, 16, 2024
Association of Iranian Women in Montreal
Collective of Woman Life Freedom – Rome
Dallas Iranian Women Association (DIWA).
Everyday Feminism
Frauen Tribunal – Hannover, Germany
Free Iranian Women’s Association
Gender Equality Committee of Solidarity of Republicans of Iran
IKWRO-Women Rights Organizations.
Iranian Circle of Women for International Networking (ICWIN)
Iranian Women Activist in Exile â Berlin, Germany
Iranian Women Association of Parto, Germany.
Iranian-German women’s association, Cologne, Germany
IWIN Iranian Women In Network
Left Unity of Women
Maanaav – LGBTQ Community – Sweden
Me Too Movement Iran
Orange County Women Study Group.
The Organization for Emancipation of Women
Together for Womenâs Health Foundation.
Women for Sustainable Freedom & Equality
Zanan Group in Northern California