Political Playgrounds by Sarina Soleymani
She stared at herself in the mirror, her hijab tightened leaving no strands of hair visible and her manteau, oversized and loose, covering her figure. Tears running down her flushed, makeup-less, cheeks as she trembles questioning: “Why?” She blamed herself for this tragedy and so did they. Her family accused her of stealing their honour, the khales (aunts) gossiped giving her dirty looks, the jury and her entire country turned their back on her. Instead of compassion, she received coldness. As for him, he roams freely, head held high like he has nothing to be ashamed of.
Rape culture in Iran is extremely apparent in the lives of all women. Hyper-awareness, avoiding eye contact with unknown men, ensuring you’re never alone and gripping our hijabs tightly, are behaviours that we’ve learnt and adapted as Iranian women. These fears are not unique to this country, yet how the country handles them is. Rape culture isn’t only recognizable but institutionalized.
Iran is an Islamic fundamentalist state, which judges each law and action upon religion. This drives the oppressive systems that harm women. Young girls, as soon as they hit puberty, are forced to wear the Islamic veil- Hijab. Any woman who fails to follow this law can serve up to 3 months in prison. A sacred practice, intended to be a choice, has been stripped of all its value and imposed, reducing women’s existence to a mere sexual temptation. One that should be hidden away and covered through clothing. By our law, marital rape is legal. According to the Quran and as declared by Ayatollah Khomeini, the leader of the 1979 Islamic revolution, “a woman must surrender to her husband for any pleasure”. The ingraining of this phrase in our legal system allows sexually repressed men to abuse their wives knowing they can never gain justice. Unless stated/allowed otherwise on their day of marriage, that woman cannot legally file for a divorce. Leaving her trapped with no escape. But what if she wasn’t a woman? What if she was a young girl, aged 13, who involuntarily got married and is facing this violence every day? Judicially, this isn’t a problem: she is at a legal age, obeying her husband's needs. This outrageous reality is the result of a government that uses religion as a form of mass manipulation. The purposeful mistranslation and misinterpretation of the Quran push forward their misogynistic and discriminatory agenda in gaining political ownership of women’s bodies, treating them as a political playground.
The west is no better. The Islamophobia and demonization of Iran make it so that not only are we ambushed and sabotaged by our government but seen as a punchline by the West. They point the finger at the traumas faced by Iranian women and praise themselves for being more advanced, instead of lending a hand. Once again, considering Iranian women as political playgrounds.
Systemic discriminations aside, Iran has an incredibly religious/traditional population, especially in rural areas. The existing taboo around sex denies women of education or help unless married. This traces to basing the honour of families on the purity and virginity of their daughter, these girls consequently get moulded to fit the disturbing image of what a respectable girl, and thus honourable family, should be. Leaving no surprise that these villages blame rape cases entirely on the women who stay ashamed, quiet and keep a low profile to survive.
Fortunately, that is not the case everywhere. Iranian women are aware of their lack of power regarding the government but also their individual power. They break barriers and start conversations that terrify the regime, educating those around them. In modern, urban cities, the people — notably the younger generation — understand the overbearing problem surrounding rape culture and aren’t afraid to call it out. When the influential Persian musician Mohsen Namjoo faced rape allegations, Iranians believed and stood with the victims in unity. They gave these women courage to speak their truth regarding a powerful figure in this conservative country. They expressed their power and demanded justice for their sisters, resulting in an ongoing trial. Likewise, “The Girls of Enghelab Street” revolt and protest, courageously taking off their hijab and placing it on a stick all whilst standing in the exact location where the Iranian revolution took place. Together, despite the danger, women socially pressure the Iranian mindset to evolve through the tool and blessing of education. I firmly believe education is the first step to change and admire those who take advantage of it and raise awareness. Iranian women are powerful, and they know it, their bodies are not political playgrounds. Their bodies contain souls, filled with beauty, intelligence, sympathy, and strength. They are political activists, whose voices need to be heard.