- Afghan activist witnesses Iranian women’s suffering, advocates for change
- Activist highlights contrasts in women’s rights between Afghanistan and Iran
- Personal encounters reveal Iranian women’s oppression and mental health struggles
A youthful Afghani activist for women’s rights recently departed the country for Iran.
Although women in both nations have limited rights, the activist remarked that she noticed an enormous contrast between the two countries upon her arrival.
That changed when Iranian women disclosed the suffering they endured at the hands of the Islamic Republic’s regime.
To ensure the safety of the activist, her anonymity is being maintained. It is as follows:
After nearly three years of habitation in Afghanistan during the Taliban regime, my fellow Afghan women and I have been systematically marginalized from the public sphere.
Like innumerable other women in the nation, I struggled with severe depression and mental health crises during this time.
Since it appeared improbable that my circumstances would improve, my brother strongly encouraged me to accompany him on his journey.
Two countries are accessible to the majority of Afghan citizens: Pakistan and Iran.
But I chose to travel to Iran because I am an activist for women’s rights and a women’s revolution has occurred in the country since Mahsa Amini’s demise.
During the initial days following our arrival, women were present in every setting, including restaurants, parks, schools, universities, and public spaces, unrestricted in their attire and behavior.
I visited a cosmetic salon in the Mashhad region of Iran one day.
I was greeted by a woman who had just entered the salon before my arrival. She was inconsolable, and every woman in the salon greeted her with open embraces and floods of sympathy.
As I awaited my turn, I was provided with additional details about Sapideh. For many years, she was a renowned patron of the salon.
Recently, her only parent, her father, passed away. She had been recuperating from her loss and sorrow at home. It appeared that she had neither close friends nor family members by her side during this trying period.
All of the women in the beauty salon endeavored to console her as they listened to her sobs and words of sorrow.
As I prepared to depart, I noticed three women attending to her nails, hair, and face. She had ceased her sobbing.
All beauty salons, which are tiny spaces where women can support and assist one another, are closed in Afghanistan.
As I made my way to the hotel, I observed women driving or unburdened women without hijabs; my thoughts could not help but be reminded of Afghan women.
Because we have become accustomed to it, we are oblivious to the fact that our liberties and rights have been taken away.
Although both nations were characterized by gender-discriminatory regimes, I found no parallel between our plight and that of Iranian women in my early days. Despite this, I was compelled to compare our situations daily.
While women in Afghanistan struggle for fundamental human rights that are withheld from us, it seems that Iranian women have acquired them all already.
I was unable to perceive the suffering of Iranian women because, like the millions of Afghan women who endure oppression, agony, and suffering, I am a civilian.
My opinion was altered when I encountered Tranom, a young Iranian adolescent, in the restroom of a retail mall.
Tranom, aged 16, lacked a hijab, had short purple hair, and was attired in a T-shirt and trousers. She informed me that she had been detained three times while wearing the hijab properly.
“In my society, it was unacceptable for a woman to be detained, but I am no longer frightened. “I choose my attire,” she declared.
I encountered Zari, a construction engineering student, while I was in Tehran.
Our conversation centered on my initial perceptions of Iran. Zari stated that the Iranian regime primarily targets the youth demographic.
Greater youth concentration is accompanied by increased levels of conflict and tension.
Zari stated that while one might not have observed the vehicles of the Iranian morality police, Gasht-a Ershad, in other regions, one can be observed in the vicinity of the university and the parks frequented by both male and female students.
Zari informed me that daily, young Iranian women, particularly students, are subjected to oppression because their hijab is not donned properly.
During my visit to Kish Island in southern Iran accompanied by my brother, I had the opportunity to meet Fatima, an educator who was there with her spouse and daughter.
She discussed the severe melancholy and mental health crisis that Iranian women are experiencing.
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She instructed me, as we sat on the Persian Gulf shore, to observe every woman who passed in front of us.
She informed me that Kish Island is among the most costly destinations in Iran and that many Iranians aspire to visit it. She claims that the affluent of Iran reside in this country.
Fatima stated that women are recognizable by their expensive clothing, plastic surgery, and occasionally excessive makeup.
However, their lack of happiness stems from the oppression inflicted by the regime. Due to their lack of freedom.”
“The morality police are concerned that they will never be abandoned.” All of them are cognizant of the countless young women who have been apprehended under the pretext of wearing the hijab, only to be raped, tormented, murdered, or vanish. Although we are all alive, we cease to exist.
It is necessary to classify gender apartheid as a crime against humanity; all Iranian and Afghan women should be liberated.
