What distinguishes the current protest movements from the hitherto ones is not only their largeness, militancy, radical slogans and demands, calling for overthrow of the existing systems; but also the role of women in them. Large number of women are present in these protest movements; but it’s not only their numbers that is impressive; it’s their role in organising and leading the movement; in their bold and courageous acts of fighting one to one with the heavily armed police and in shielding their male counterparts from the police attack.
You see women everywhere active in every aspects of the movement. The narration is not and cannot be “women shoulder to shoulder with men” anymore; as though men are the main factor and women the derivatives. This is exciting, extremely important, very progressive and deeply transformative. This development will change the social roles, balance of power between the sexes and the gender myths.
This is important worldwide; but especially in the Middle East under the grip of the Islamist regimes and movements, it has utmost significance. The traditional roles basically imposed by these reactionary regimes and ideology have created a gender narration of women being the weak and men the strong; females in need of the protection of the male; women subdued and submissive. All these are being challenged; the myth of the weaker sex is transforming into dust.
And this is the beauty of these courageous and vibrant movements. Women are targeting the tribal rulers and their ideologies, who have taken the society to the Middle Ages; reactionary values and dogmas have been given a new life and imposed on the people; The movements that have raised the Islamic veils as their banners and have based their power on gender apartheid are being seriously challenged and disarmed.
Women’s empowerment is the real result of these mass movements. None of the recent feminist movements and narrations has been able to challenge the society deeply or towards an egalitarian one; the great mass protest movements are taking the gender challenge to the street and firmly plant it in the society.
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Communiqué of Worker-communist Party of Iran – Hekmatist
Message of solidarity with the workers and people of Lebanon and Iraq
5 November 2019