Mahsa died suspiciously to say the very least while in custody of the Iranian authorities. One year on the Iranian authorities continue to repress dissent and protest, no matter how minor, and they very often arrest and victimise the families of activists. They impose very restrictive and cruel restrictions on peaceful gatherings and continue vandalising and destroying the graves of their victims.
Mahsa Amini’s family have publicly spoken out, at great risk to themselves, about the repeated damage to her grave in this supposed religious country. Mahsa’s grave has become a central point where the families of other victims of the regime in Iran gather to find peace and solace. The religious gang who govern, or more aptly misgovern Iran have begun doubling their efforts of control particularly against women. In July, there was a return of police patrols whose role it is to force women to cover themselves up in public, a practice known as ‘compulsory veiling’ in which women and girls, whether they wish it or not, are forced to wear a full veil over their face. Women and girls who defy the authorities and therefore ‘forced veiling’ have been threatened with legal action as well as being violently assaulted by officials in Tehran and Rasht.
Many, many women whose numbers are ‘countless’ have been suspended and expelled from universities, barred from sitting their final exams, a disaster for any student in any country, and denied access to banking services and banned from public transport. Not a single official of the religious ruling body has been held to account for the murders of men, women and children by the so-called security forces during the last year of protests. Why could that be?
Civil unrest and protest in Iran against the government associated with the death while in police custody of Mahsa Amini began on 16th September 2022 and is continuing to this day. Mahsa’s offence, if that is what it was, was violating the country’s ‘mandatory hijab law’ by wearing her hijab in an improper fashion. According to eyewitnesses, she had been severely beaten by ‘Guidance Patrol officers’, claims which the authorities deny.
Many, many women whose numbers are ‘countless’ have been suspended and expelled from universities, barred from sitting their final exams, a disaster for any student in any country, and denied access to banking services and banned from public transport. Not a single official of the religious ruling body has been held to account for the murders of men, women and children by the so-called security forces during the last year of protests. Why could that be?
Civil unrest and protest in Iran against the government associated with the death while in police custody of Mahsa Amini began on 16th September 2022 and is continuing to this day. Mahsa’s offence, if that is what it was, was violating the country’s ‘mandatory hijab law’ by wearing her hijab in an improper fashion. According to eyewitnesses, she had been severely beaten by ‘Guidance Patrol officers’, claims which the authorities deny.
As the protests spread out from Mahsa’s home town of Saqqez to other cities in Iran, the government have responded with widespread internet blackouts, nationwide restrictions on social media usage and have used teargas and gunfire against protestors. There have been countless human rights abuses against women and girls by the so-called ‘Morality Police’ along with the killings of hundreds of protestors. The aims of the protestors have increased from protesting at the severity of the law since the death of Mahsa Amini and are now aimed at the toppling of the regime in Iran. Also on the protestors' agenda is the protection of civil and political rights, including and primarily in that country, women’s rights hitherto hardly existent. The protestors also wish to remove mandatory religious requirements, such as the forced wearing of the hijab, dissolution of the so-called Morality Police and the prosecution of the murderers of Mahsa Amini.
As of 4th April 2023 at least 537 protestors including 68 minors have been killed by the authorities. Mahsa Amini was a 22-year-old Kurdish Iranian woman beaten by the ‘Guidance Patrol’ (I assume these are a wing of the ‘Morality Police’) having a fatal head injury inflicted on her. After a Computerised Tomography (CT) scan confirmed that she ‘sustained head injuries, the head of the Guidance Patrol was allegedly suspended, a claim which was denied by the Tehran police’
The protests have not yet been as deadly as those in 2019, when more than 1,500 were killed. They have, however, been nationwide and spread across all social classes, universities, the streets and schools. They have been described as the ‘biggest challenge to the government of Iran since the Islamic Revolution of 1979.’ Women and schoolchildren have played a key role in these demonstrations, which the government dismiss as riots caused by foreign states and dissidents abroad. Even by the ridiculous standards of Iran these claims appear far-fetched to say the least.
What is happening in Iran should be condemned by every sane person on the planet and is not perhaps dissimilar as to the present situation in Afghanistan. Since the United States and the British, having made yet another fucking mess, left the country the plight of women under the ruling Taliban does not look good. Firstly, they went in to sort out the Taliban who had fought as part of the Mujahadin against the Soviet Union. They, the US, armed them, advised them only to have those same guns fired back at themselves! At this point they ran away leaving the Taliban in charge and the plight of women very, very uncertain. When the USSR left Afghanistan many women, who no longer had to wear the veil and could enter the world of work, including the professions, cried at their future prospects under these religious nutters. It appears very much the same kind of fanatical Islamic regime which is ruling in Iran.
We should not forget, here in the 26-counties, that not so many decades ago we too were de-facto ruled by a bunch of religious cranks. John Charles McQuaid was the Archbishop of Dublin between 1940 and 1972. He influenced, even dictated to governments and was chiefly responsible for the failure of the progressive Dr Noel Browne’s attempts to introduce the ‘Mother and Child’ scheme. The ‘Mother and Child scheme’ was the brainchild of Dr Noel Browne and was seen, by the church and McQuaid in particular, to be the ‘socialisation’ of health care hitherto the responsibility of the Catholic Church. The scheme was designed to give free healthcare to mothers and children up to the age of 16. The Catholic Church, the de-facto government unelected for so many years, opposed anything with an air of socialism about it and this included free at the point of need healthcare. The other major so-called Christian religion in the 26 counties, the Church of Ireland was also opposed to Browne’s scheme.
The protests have not yet been as deadly as those in 2019, when more than 1,500 were killed. They have, however, been nationwide and spread across all social classes, universities, the streets and schools. They have been described as the ‘biggest challenge to the government of Iran since the Islamic Revolution of 1979.’ Women and schoolchildren have played a key role in these demonstrations, which the government dismiss as riots caused by foreign states and dissidents abroad. Even by the ridiculous standards of Iran these claims appear far-fetched to say the least.
What is happening in Iran should be condemned by every sane person on the planet and is not perhaps dissimilar as to the present situation in Afghanistan. Since the United States and the British, having made yet another fucking mess, left the country the plight of women under the ruling Taliban does not look good. Firstly, they went in to sort out the Taliban who had fought as part of the Mujahadin against the Soviet Union. They, the US, armed them, advised them only to have those same guns fired back at themselves! At this point they ran away leaving the Taliban in charge and the plight of women very, very uncertain. When the USSR left Afghanistan many women, who no longer had to wear the veil and could enter the world of work, including the professions, cried at their future prospects under these religious nutters. It appears very much the same kind of fanatical Islamic regime which is ruling in Iran.
We should not forget, here in the 26-counties, that not so many decades ago we too were de-facto ruled by a bunch of religious cranks. John Charles McQuaid was the Archbishop of Dublin between 1940 and 1972. He influenced, even dictated to governments and was chiefly responsible for the failure of the progressive Dr Noel Browne’s attempts to introduce the ‘Mother and Child’ scheme. The ‘Mother and Child scheme’ was the brainchild of Dr Noel Browne and was seen, by the church and McQuaid in particular, to be the ‘socialisation’ of health care hitherto the responsibility of the Catholic Church. The scheme was designed to give free healthcare to mothers and children up to the age of 16. The Catholic Church, the de-facto government unelected for so many years, opposed anything with an air of socialism about it and this included free at the point of need healthcare. The other major so-called Christian religion in the 26 counties, the Church of Ireland was also opposed to Browne’s scheme.
In the six counties, initially, there were similar opposition to the introduction of the National Health Service in 1948 on similar grounds. Professors Garry O’Leary and Brendan O’Leary wrote that the Ulster Unionist Party was “famously opposed” to the introduction of the NHS. Any form of socialism/communism went against all Christian teachings, yet, my understanding was that Jesus, if he existed, was the first communist on earth! Did he not supposedly kick the capitalists out of the temple? Did this early variant of Marx preach the spreading of the wealth? ‘The meek will inherit the earth’ was another communistic statement supposedly uttered by Jesus, and let us not forget the Sermon on the Mount!
In the 26 counties anything which went against Catholic doctrine, or McQuaid’s interpretation of such doctrine was a non-starter for any Taoiseach and none dare oppose the all-powerful Archbishop! He had de Valera eating out of his hands and the rights of women were virtually non-existent, with government approval. Many women died in the so-called ‘Magdalene Laundries’ and other Catholic run state approved sweatshops. In the six-counties between 1922 and 1972 the entirely Protestant Ulster Unionist Party governed, or more appropriately misgoverned that part of Ireland. They too had their religious fanatics, like the late Ian Paisley, and in Protestant areas of the statelet on Sunday all the swings in playparks for children were tied up so they could not be used, and the UUPs early attitudes to free healthcare has already been mentioned. Fortunately, Ireland, 26 counties and the North of Ireland have made great progress since those days of religious lunacy. The church was never the elected government in either jurisdiction on the island of Ireland but they still ruled indirectly for so many years. Unfortunately for Mahsa Amini and countless other women and protestors Iran has, if anything, gone backwards as has Afghanistan who are still living in the days of Saladin and the Holy Wars against the Crusades of the 12th century.
To mark the anniversary of Mahsa’s death there will be a rally at 1pm, the Spire on O’Connell Street, Dublin. The rally is organised by the Support Equality & Freedom for Iran (SEFI) and Irish Iranians all welcome. The campaign is supported by Amnesty International.
To mark the anniversary of Mahsa’s death there will be a rally at 1pm, the Spire on O’Connell Street, Dublin. The rally is organised by the Support Equality & Freedom for Iran (SEFI) and Irish Iranians all welcome. The campaign is supported by Amnesty International.
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| Caoimhin O’Muraile is Independent Socialist Republican and Marxist. |
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