Open Letter to women in the diplomatic/trade delegation of Sweden who travelled to the Islamic republic of Iran.

 

Legitimizing the misogynist Islamic government is shameful!

 

We, signatories to this letter, wish to pronounce our serious objection to the veiled appearance of you, the women in the Swedish delegation, who visited Iran on 11th and 12th of February. Needless to say, such visits per se, due to the intense suppression of political and civil freedoms in Iran, and the destructive role they play in contributing to the survival of the Islamic dictatorship in Iran, are objectionable for us and many others.

 

Many have condemned your consent to wearing hijab as shameful. It is shameful because, despite the claims of the Swedish government in guarding the equality of women and men, by wearing hijab you sacrificed this basic principle to trade deals with Iran. You probably noticed that, having the hijab on, you had to walk behind men, hold your head down, and not raise your voice in the course of the discussions, because the Islamic hijab is a reminder of the second class status of women, and you accepted all this.

 

What you accepted to do is shameful because, considering that hijab is the symbol and banner of terrorist and misogynist Islamist movements, governments and groups, by submitting to it you obviously and offensively were placed next to these governments and these misogynist and anti-human Islamist movement and governments.

 

Your defense of this shameful action—that compulsory veil is the law of the land in Iran and you were compelled to follow the law—is worse than the act itself! Would your delegation also agree to the law of stoning women to death for having engaged in extra-marital relationships? Would your delegation give the nod to the Islamic government of Iran in the execution of children or homosexuals? Are you oblivious to the fact that for over three decades, despite the daily suppression, the risk of having acid thrown into their faces, despite arrests, humiliations, fines, or the risk of losing their jobs, millions of Iranian women courageously defy the compulsory veil and many other inhuman laws and regulations? How is it that the brave Iranian women can breach these laws but you, who do not have to face these consequences, voluntarily accepted this humiliation? Your action is practical corroboration with the Islamic government in further suppressing the protests of the Iranian women against the government of sexual apartheid.

 

Our other question: if you consider following the inhuman laws of a country mandatory, would you have been prepared to go along with the law of an anti Jewish country in disallowing a hypothetical Jewish member of your delegation? Would you have accepted the laws of the South African apartheid regime to put the hypothetical black members of your delegation on a separate bench away from the whites? Would not, in that case, the people of South Africa and the rest of humanity who side with them have condemned your action?

 

The issue, as we see it is quite clear. The Islamic regime in many ways is similar to the apartheid regime of South Africa. The difference is that apartheid this regime is based on sex rather than the color of skin. Half of Iranian society, i.e. the women, is deprived of their basic human rights on the basis of a misogynous ideology. Compulsory veil is the symbol of this disenfranchisement and a sign of the inferior position of women in Iran.

 

By evading the compulsory hijab you could have joined the minority of women diplomats who have so far objected to this restraint. You could have opened your ears to the constant protest cry of us women against this compulsion. Listen to this cry of us against the use of hijab by women politicians and stand by this protest action. By protesting to the hijab, rather than standing by the side of the criminals and bestowing legitimacy on those who have so far stayed in power through killing, crime, and genocide, not only in Iran, but engaging in murder and mayhem in the entire region, you could have sent a message to the sruggling women of Iran.

Not only did you not do so, but you answered these legitimate protests by associating the protesters to your action with anti foreigners (according to Ann Lindy, European Union minister for Trade and Affairs—Aftonbladet) and by the offensive comparison between the compulsory hijab with hats by the finance minister (who later apologized)and some other ministers.

 

On behalf of the millions of women and millions of freedom loving people who, under the threat of the Islamic Republic, acid throwing, humiliation and suppression, put out daily resistance against the compulsory veil, we strongly denounce your consent to compulsory veil during your two day trip to Iran.

 

Your action will be a stain, stigmatizing you and the Swedish government for all time to come. If you are not prepared to support these women and condemn the misogynous and anti-human laws of the Islamic government, the least you can do is to refrain from standing on their way.

 

1. –Farideh Arman(Iran)chairperson for the Federation of Women’s Rights/Sweden
2. –Parvin Kaboli(Iran)The White Carnation, women’s rights activist/Sweden
3. –Shiva Mahboubi(Iran)spokesperson for the Committee for the Release of Political Prisoners; women’s rights activist
4. –Mina Ahadi(Iran) chairperson for the International Committee Against Stoning and chair for the Institution of ExMuslims/Germany.
5. –Kimia Pazouki (Iran) women’s rights activist Sweden
6. –Fereshteh Moradi(Iran)women’s rights activist/Holland
7. –Sima Bahari(Iran) women’s rights activist/Sweden
8. –Maryam Afrasyabpour(Iran)International Campaign for Women’s Rights/Sweden
9. –Sussan Saberi(Iran)chairperson for the women’s section of the Nationwide Federation of Iranian Refugees/Sweden
10. –ShirinShams(Iran) chairperson for Feminine Revolution
11. –Afsaneh Vahdat(Iran)Children’s rights activist/Sweden
12. –Mahin Alipour(Iran)women’s rights activist/Sweden
13. –Sara Nakhaei(Iran)chairperson for the Federation of Iranian Refugees/Sweden
14. –Andisheh Alishahj(Iran)refugee rights activist/Sweden
15. –Sadri Amirhosseini(Iran)women’s rights activist/Norway
16. –Tahmineh Sadeghi(Iran)women’s rights activist/Canada
17. Marya Rashidi (Iran) women’s rights activist/Sweden
18. -Gabi Hosieni (Iran) women’s rights activist/Hambastegi Sweden
19. -Jenny Antunes Wenhammar, leader of FEMEN sweden
20. Mino Mirani (Iran) women’s rights activist/Sweden
21. -Azizeh Lotfallahi(Iran) women’s rights activist-Finland
22. -Jamile Miraki (Iran) women’s rights activist-Germany
23. -Malakeh Izzati Women’s rights activist – Norway
24. -Farideh Rezaei – Iranani Women’s struggle for freedom
25. -Fakhri javaheri_Women’s rights activist/ Canada
26. Soraia Fattahi Iranian Women’s struggle for freedom
27. Nazanin Brumand -(Iran) women’s rights activist- Germany
28. Shahla Khabazzade–(Iran) women’s rights activist- Germany
29. Nasrin Almasi —(Iran) women’s rights activist.Canada
30. Nazla Azadi(Iran) women’s rights activist/Sweden
31. Awat farokhi(Iran) women’s rights activist/Sweden
32. leili shabani-(Iran) women’s rights activist- Shaho Mohamadian
33. Aram bayat – canada
34. Wiveca Haas- Sweden
35. Elahe Ghahreman
36. Jilla Miraki
37. Reza Alinia
38. Sarvar kardar
39. Mahrokh firouzeh
40. Khalil Keyvan
41. Sattar norizad
42. Mahsa Momtahani
43. Maryam Kamali
44. Shahrzad Arshadi
45. Mojdeh Amdjadi
46. Sara sarv
47. David Aram
48. Nina Karimi
49. leila Arghavani-Norway
50. Kiyumarz Kabuli-Germany
51. Hebiet Nodinian-Sweden
52. Alea Ahmad Faraj-Iraq
53. Lawja Jawad Mohammadi ( Iraq)—Danmark
54. Sheida Arghavani(Iran) women’s rights activist-Norway
55. Avat Sadeghi(Iran) women’s rights activist-Sweden
56. Nahdi Vafay(Iran) women’s rights activist-Norway
57. RadioPayam Canada
58. Rahim Yazdanparast political aktivist-
59. Firouzeh Gaffari –(Iran) women’s rights activist.
60. Raana Ahamd ( Saudi Arbian )women’s rights activist- Germany
61. Worod Zahier ( Iraq)women’s rights activist- Germany
62. Mitra Mirza zadeh human rights activist- Canada
63. Ahmad Pourmandi political aktivist-Germany
64. Ali Shirazi
65. Homa arjmand women’s rights activist. Canada
66. Omar Marofi –Norway
67. Mahvash Golparian-Norway
68. Nazanin Sabzandish From the Netherlands
69. Osman Rahmani political aktivist-Norway
70. Bian Abdolah (Iraq) women’s rights activist-Germany
71. Nahid Roshan –Norway
72. Abas Khorsandi political activist- Germany
73. Mohammad Ramani –Germany
74. Tahereh Sadegi Sweden
75. Faranak Karimi –Iran
76. Anahid Khaiam – Iran
77. Sedighe Mohamadi
78. Chamin Darabi
79. Behzad Azad – Iran
80. Nur Mohammad – iran
81. Gasem yosefi tameh – Iran
82. Khaled Naseri – Germany
83. Farangis Moradi – Germany
84. Fereshte Nezam abadi – Sweden
85. Mahsa Falzadeh_sweden
86. Bakak Eydipor-sweden
87. Azar Puya – Sweden
88. Ali Gaderi- Sweden
89. siyamack sohrabmanesh-Italy
90. Mehdi Nazemi
91. Naser Nobahar
92. Hasan Hasanzadeh
93. Shahab mehdi pour
94. Oldoz hashemi
95. Parvin Azad
96. Saed Kalhor
97. Iman Azad
98. Soheila Shahbaz zadeh
99. Karo endan Azadi
100. Jazdan sardashti nia
101. Mohsen Ebrahimi – Canada
102. Babak Jazdi – Canada
103. Sahra Bahar
104. Saber Rahimi
105. Jamal Mohamadi
106. Ezat Darabi
107. Soheila Rohani
108. Mahin Kaboli
109. Mehrnosh Lotfi
110. Farshad Abolhasani
111. Porya Ethad pasand
112. Ferasat Salehi
113. Valerie Price, Director – ACT! For Canada
114. Raham Rafiee, Equal Rights Activist,r LGBTI Activist
115. Andrew Wallis -UK
116. Mosa talash
117. Solmaz Vakilpour feminist women’s rights activist-Germany
118. –