Neda
This is the name of a young woman who is making the rounds fast on the internet. Why? As she protested the re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, she shot threw the heart by a Basij who was hiding on a civilian rooftop. She died in her father’s arms as he cried her name in the streets and some fellow protesters tried to help.
There is video of her death all over the internet, and many are very moved by it. I’ve only seen a video still of her face before she passes. I refuse to watch it. I know I won’t be able to handle what is in it. Just reading people’s accounts of what happened to Neda, whose name means ‘call’ or ‘voice’ in Farsi, and to other protesters – who are mostly women of various ages, lifestyles, and looks – drives me to tears and makes me wonder what I can do.
There have been protests here in New York City to show support for opposition protesters where people wore green or black, to mourn those that have died in the protests in Iran. I’ve read on Jezebel’s comments that some of the embassies are not taking in the injured. Perhaps that is a way the we who are not in Iran can give some help. Maybe we can implore our news networks to show what is going on their since many foreign press have been banned or told to leave so that these people’s stories are not heard. Maybe donating to an Iranian organization could help. There must be something but everything just seems so far away and bigger than anyone.
What really moves me about what is going on in Iran is that women are leading the charge in the protests while also getting the same brutality as men in the protests. The campaign for Mir Hossein Mousavi was very important the women there. The people sought reform through him, and it’s very telling of the culture there that they’re beating women in these protests when, supposedly, their laws were made to protect them. Iranian women are willing to put themselves in the danger they are supposed to be protected from just to have their voices heard. It’s moving, powerful, and sad all at the same time.
It makes me realize how much the women of the original feminist movement put their necks out on the line for many women in the United States to be where we are today. It seems that every wave of feminism gets bigger, more inclusive, and more varied. There isn’t just one voice, and I hope one day Iranian women have that opportunity. I hope that one day they have equality with Iranian men. I hope that the Iranian people don’t have to go through such atrocious means to have their voices heard. I hope that one day we will find out if Neda will be a martyr, a catalyst, and a face for the opposition movement.
