Tag: Masha Amini

  • ‘Not my-self’; wearing Hijab discomforts me, says Iranian chess player

    ‘Not my-self’; wearing Hijab discomforts me, says Iranian chess player

    Iranian chess player Sara Khadem has taken part in an international chess tournament without wearing the hijab.

     As per Iranian Law, it is compulsory for women to wear hijab or cover their head while competing in international tournaments. Sara Khadem has said that she still hopes she will continue representing her homeland in international competitions.

    On September 13 last year in Tehran, Iran, the moral police arrested a 22-years-old woman named Masha Amini from Kurdistan Province for not wearing hijab properly.

    Masha Amini went into a coma when the police assaulted her while she was under arrest. Masha died in the hospital on September 16.

    Sara Khadem’s action is also being seen as support for the protests which have gripped Iran since Amini’s death. Iranian moral police planned to arrest Sara Khadem upon her arrival in the country but the chess player fled to Spain with her husband and 10-month-old son.

    While talking to a Spanish newspaper Sara Khadem said that she is, “not my-self while wearing hijab.” She said that planned to leave Iran after the birth of her son Sam. “I want my son to move freely on roads and play without bothering us. Spain is the only place that pops up in my head and I took refuge here,” she stated.

    Khadem also clarified that she will only wear hijab if there are cameras before an international chess match in Kazakhstan.

    “But I’m not me when I wear hijab. I don’t feel well. So, I decided to put an end to that situation. Because of this, I have decided not to wear the hijab anymore,” she said.

  • 2023 will be the year of the Pakistani woman

    2023 will be the year of the Pakistani woman

    Look, Pakistani men: you no longer have a choice. This year, Pakistani women are taking over. And don’t we deserve it. Looking back at 2022, we had to bear the burden of abuse, rape and gruesome murders.

    Pakistan faces a gender gap in ways and incidents unimaginable. The World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report 2022 ranked Pakistan at 145 out of the 146 countries ranked on the index. Pakistan was just ahead of Afghanistan, where women can’t go to school and universities. The report gauges how immense the gender gap is in areas, including education, economic participation, health, and political empowerment. Pakistan’s second-last position came as no surprise, at least not for the women in the country.

    Women in Pakistan are yearning for the day when our society will learn to provide the strength where it is required and stand with the survivors of sexual assaults, when no one will be afraid to talk about their horrific experiences and when no woman will be blamed for being a victim and celebrated for being a survivor. But until that day arrives, we can all try to bridge the gap and make it better for the women in our country. Our leaders and decision-makers can really try and make an effort to make Pakistan safe for women. It is time to stand up for the ones suffering and give women safe spaces.

    We as a country were still dealing with the horrors of the murder of Noor Mukadam and we hadn’t healed, when we witnessed the bone-chilling gruesome murder of Sara Shahnawaz in September at the hands of a man who, too, was raised as a result of the patriarchy.

    From glorifying abusers and then giving them awards, the Lux Style Awards (LSAs) became a sorry affair in 2022. The coveted LSAs rolled out nominations for its 21st edition and as soon as the names were dropped, viewers condemned what they felt was an injustice to other artists and women.

    So listen up: we hope that 2023 is a year when better sense prevails, we learn from our mistakes as individuals and start to become a country where our women and men are given their due rights and respect.

  • Musician ‘Iranian sisters’ sing Bella Ciao in solidarity with Masha Amini

    Musician ‘Iranian sisters’ sing Bella Ciao in solidarity with Masha Amini

    Two Iranian sisters have sung a Persian version of revolutionary Italian folk song “Bella Ciao” in response to Mahsa Amini’s death in Iran.

    The two Iranian sisters, Samin and Behin Bolouri, recorded the Persian version of Bella Ciao and uploaded it on Instagram.

    The translated version of the caption read: “We are not awake until tomorrow.”

    The video has garnered over five million views.

    Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian woman breathed her last days after being arrested by a police unit responsible for forcing Iran’s strict dress code for women. She was taken into custody for not complying with hijab rules.

    Mahsa Amini was beaten while inside a police van when she was picked up in Tehran on Tuesday. Photographs of Mahsa lying in a hospital bed have gone viral, showing the young woman in a coma with her head wrapped in bandages and breathing through tubes.

    #MahsaAmini became one of the top hashtags on Persian-language Twitter as Iranians fumed over the death of Amini. Later, women in Iran protested against the death of Amini by setting their hijabs on fire. Her death has sparked widespread protests in Iran.

    At least 70 people have died in protests and over 1,200 have been arrested following Amini’s death.

  • Pakistani men, time’s up: We will no longer tolerate another Zahir and Shahnawaz

    Pakistani men, time’s up: We will no longer tolerate another Zahir and Shahnawaz

    The age of uncertainty grappling Pakistan is rather appalling. Lately, women in Pakistan and around the world are nothing but just another hashtag. Their name, story, and pain last only till another hashtag replaces them. We as a country are still dealing with the horrors of the murder of Noor Mukadam. We haven’t healed as a nation and now we have witnessed the bone-chilling gruesome murder of Sara Shahnawaz at the hands of a man who too was raised as a result of the patriarchal world in Pakistan.

    A harrowing murder took place in Islamabad on Friday morning. The daughter-in-law of senior journalist Ayaz Amir was murdered in Islamabad. 37-year-old Sara was found murdered at a farmhouse in Chak Shahzad. According to details, journalist Ayaz Amir’s son Shah Nawaz killed his wife at their home with a gym dumbbell. After murdering her, the accused dumped her body in a bathtub. Senior Journalist Ayaz Amir expressed his grief and shock over the murder of his daughter-in-law by his son.

    In Pakistan, men get away with crimes against women, which is why they think they can even commit murder without any repercussions. Our society and justice system have failed the women of Pakistan. It is because of these attitudes that Pakistan ranks as the second-worst country on the gender gap index.

    The story of Masha Amini from across the border is equally tragic. The 22-year-old Iranian woman breathed her last days after being arrested by a police unit responsible for forcing Iran’s strict dress code for women. She was arrested for not complying with hijab rules. Mahsa Amini was beaten while inside a police van when she was picked up in Tehran on Tuesday. Photographs of Mahsa lying in a hospital bed have gone viral, showing the young woman in a coma with her head wrapped in bandages and breathing through tubes. #MahsaAmini became one of the top hashtags on Persian-language Twitter as Iranians fumed over the death of Amini. Later we saw that women in Iran protested against the death of Amini by setting their hijabs on fire. Her death sparked widespread protests in Iran.

    What is happening to women across the world is a reminder that all this is about control, power, and oppression. One of the key reasons women are marginalised is because a powerful and educated woman leads to a powerful and educated community. Women need to be empowered by those in power. We as individuals have failed. We have failed our women and young girls. The silence of the state on matters that need the most attention is rather appalling. For how long will people keep suffering? What are our policymakers doing to make the lives of people in Pakistan better? Who should the families of the victims look up to? Who will give them justice? The beasts who killed their daughters are very much alive. Who will bring solace to the plight of the mothers and fathers of the one dead at the hands of men who could not take no for an answer or whose temper was so fragile that they had to kill women when they raised their voices for their rights.