Why are Western feminists silent about the plight of Iranian women?
This year, we have witnessed perhaps the most significant protest against the Iranian regime since the Islamic Revolution of 1979. In response, the bloodthirst of the mullahs has been on full display. Yet, Iranian women continue to protest for the basic right to wear the hijab or not. These protests have persisted, though the world may ignore the plight of these Iranian women as the news cycle always seems to move on. Iranian women face daily threats of violence. More than 50 girls schools across Iran have suffered from apparent poisonings.Just last week, Iran put on trial the brave female reporters who visited Mahsa Amini in prison and told the whole world what the regime had done to her. But where are the voices of the feminists in the West? Where are the cries of the champions of human rights? Where are the women’s rights advocates calling for justice for Iranian women? Where are all the media headlines giving them the attention they deserve? Where are our leaders around the world drawing their red lines? Do Iranian women deserve equal justice as much as anyone else? Rarely have we seen such desperate bravery, and rarely have we seen such global indifference. The hallmark of this era may very well be the absence of outrage when women are repeatedly abused by societal power structures. As a human rights leader, I have watched human rights movements emerge for decades. I’ve witnessed many horrors. But rarely have I been as disheartened as I am watching the global indifference to the plight of the women and girls of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Their plight matters as much to me as women who are repeatedly sexually harassed and abused in my homeland here in India. Shame on [...]