They are called honor killings

Friday, 07. 31. 2009  –  By Janice  –  1 Comment

Moral Courage Project to host Cyrus Nowrasteh

Friday, 07. 31. 2009  –  By the Moral Courage Project  –  3 Comments

Cyrus Nowrasteh

The Moral Courage Project is pleased to announce we will be hosting The Stoning of Soraya M. director Cyrus Nowrasteh, in a live, online conversation with our readers.

The conversation will take place Thursday August 6th 7:00 p.m. ET.

Participants can join the conversation simply by visiting our home page at the appropriate time.

Contact Janice at janice.formichella@gmail.com for more information.

The Stoning of Soraya M.

Help! I am new to blogging, where do I start?

Friday, 07. 31. 2009  –  By Janice  –  Comments Off

Expressing yourself publicly on blogs can be a daunting experience, especially if you are new to the world of blogging and online activism.

Part of the mission of the Moral Courage Project is to encourage and promote the free exchange of ideas. Because this is so important to us we have created the following list of "tips" for new bloggers with the hope that more readers will take the plunge and start using blogs such as ours as a platform for critical thought and self-expression.

Practicing expressing yourself online is the perfect way to obtain more self confidence and be morally courageous in all aspects of life! We hope this will be a helpful resource and welcome any feedback on what the MCP can do to help new bloggers.

Tips for new bloggers

1) Where do I leave my comments?

Click here for easy to follow instructions on responding to posts on www.moralcourage.com.

2) Start small.

The best way to get used to blogging is to join, or start a conversation by leaving a comment on one of our posts. MCP offers a safe, supportive place to express yourself. The more you practice by sharing conversations the easier and more fun it will become.

"I leave comments on blogs to correct any mis-information I feel needs to be challenged, to educate people on topics that I feel I have a good amount of knowledge about, to bring up other related but neglected issues, and to test my theories and stances on things by making them public and allowing other people who care about the issue to criticize me and bring new ideas to light that I may have never thought about. It’s all about having an open mind and the pursuit of the truth whether convenient or not. The pursuit of truth is, or should be, the holy grail of the blogosphere!"–AnthonyNYC

3) Don’t post and run

Readers don’t like bloggers who don’t respond to comments.  You don’t have to respond to each comment individually, but you should be engaging your readers.

4) Be brave, support each other. Blogging can be tough, because people often act more aggressively online than they would in person. If you are feeling nervous about sharing your opinions, take the plunge!

An open mind is a terrible thing to waste. All you have to lose are your misconceptions.

"I'm not much of a blogger so I was hesitant to post anything on the Moral Courage website at first. Although I do consider myself a writer, I was strangely intimidated by the thought of posting my opinion on there. After posting my first reply, however, I felt very comfortable expressing myself on the site. I encourage anyone who feels they have something to say about any of the topics listed, to go ahead and post your opinion no matter how strange, random or irrelevant it may seem to you, lol. After the first post, it gets easier." GenesisBe

5) Prime the pump

Oftentimes, readers don’t comment on a site because they are waiting to see what the culture of that blog is like.  Nobody likes to get shot down.  But there is also a kind of herd mentality – people will sit back and wait for someone else to make a comment first. We can support one another’s writing by priming the pump and leaving comments on one another’s posts.

6) Shorter=better. Really!

Short posts and comments receive more views and prompt more responses because they are easier to read. If you have a lot to say about a topic, consider writing a blog post about it, or breaking one post into several. Be creative; consider writing a “series” of posts related to the same topic.

If you have a lot to say when responding to a post or comment, save some of your thoughts and spread them over the length of the conversation. Remember, the goal is to facilitate dialog, if you have a lot to say you don’t have to say it all at once.

7) Use specific headlines. If writing a blog post, use a title that is creative and specific as possible. Readers want to know what a post is about before they will start to read.

If you are responding to a post, consider using a creative title to attract people to your comment and solicit a response.

Share a conversation, start a global dialog.

Get started today!

Bring Soraya to my theater!

Tuesday, 07. 28. 2009  –  By Janice  –  2 Comments

How can I bring The Stoning of Soraya M. to my local theater?

As an independent film, The Stoning of Soraya M. is being released on a limited basis (click here for theaters). While the success of the film has allowed the its release to expand into many markets in the U.S. and was recently released in Canada, there are many who are interested in Soraya’s story but do not have access to the film, including in areas where the film is banned. Many visitors to our website have asked us what they can to share The Stoning of Soraya M. with their community and get it shown at their local theater.

One effective and easy way to share Soraya’s story with your community is to write a brief letter to the editor of your local paper. This is a quick way to make a lot of people aware of the film and create buzz.

Such letters can be altered and sent to local theaters requesting that they consider showing the film.

Such a strategy was utilized by Laura of Nashville, Tennessee after visiting our website. Not satisfied to sit back and wonder when the film would come her way, Laura wrote the following letter and sent modified versions to the Tennessean and and two local theaters:

I have been eagerly waiting to see a movie called, “The Stoning of Soraya M.” It is based on a true story about how women today (in different parts of the world) are still the victims of the cruelest acts. Soraya’s husband wanted to be rid of her to marry a 14 year-old-girl. So he conspires to frame her for immoral crimes that rally the village to stone her. You would think that such barbaric acts ended with the dark ages.

But they have not. They are happening all around us.

Unfortunately, I found out that this movie is not playing in any theaters in and around Nashville. Why is that?? This movie has sold out in many markets where it has been shown.

Everywhere people are talking about this movie. With all that is happening around the world, and here in the U.S. a movie like this can really awaken people to the injustices that still happen today. Do you remember the story about the 8 year-old-girl in Arizona who was savagely raped??? Her parents rejected her, blaming her for the rape. Child services had to come in and place the child in foster care. I believe her parents were refugees from Liberia where blaming rape on the  victim is common practice. This story, (and there are many, many, many more of them) are examples how fragile our freedoms are here in the west. We cannot be complacent and too comfortable with what we have, because we could loose it all tomorrow if we let these atrocities continue.

Woman’s rights are human rights issues that cannot, should not be ignored. As long as there is one woman somewhere in the world being treated this way, none of us are free.

You can visit www.moralcourage.com to see what all the fuss is about.

What an effective letter! Laura has:

• Told her audience about the film.
• Stated the problem of her community not having access to the movie.
• Made it relevant by discussing a recent news story, something that even happened in the U.S.
• Stressed the importance of the film.
• Gave readers an “action” to take after reading her letter: visit the Moral Courage Project website!

Thank you so much for your doing your part to make sure that Soraya’s story is told Laura!

For more template letters and ideas of how to share Soraya with your community and stop stoning, visit our Take Action page.

We invite you to tell us about your own efforts to share The Stoning of Soraya M. with your community. We look forward to hearing about your efforts!

Small in stature, mammoth in bravery: women like Zahra and her Afghan sisters.

Tuesday, 07. 28. 2009  –  By Holly  –  4 Comments

Safia Amajan

As the number of people who have seen The Stoning of Soraya M. continues to grow (including people who live in countries that might ban the film), I can't help but think of the women I met while living and working in southern Afghanistan.  I wonder what the chances are that they will get to learn about Soraya and Zahra…and what they would say, or feel compelled to do, if they knew their story.

Zahra's clarity of purpose and bravery remind me of one woman, in particular.  In a few months, I will mark three years since I said goodbye to Fowzia Oleumi, one of the most morally courageous women I have ever known. Fowzia is the head of women’s affairs for Helmand province (the land of a profoundly conservative Pashtun culture and source of much of the world’s opium poppy production).

If history offers a clue, the moment I note the anniversary will land in the pit of my stomach, heavy before it lightens and floats up to my chest where it sits, tentatively and indefinitely, clocking time, as if idling in a parking lot of hope. I will refuse to entertain fears of the worst and instead try to imagine that something – luck, Grace, Allah, whatever – has protected her and the others I knew from the forces that seek to keep women invisible and silent.

This October (the same week, in fact) will also see the release of a new book by one of Fowzia’s compatriots, Malalai Joya, titled A Woman Among Warlords: The Extraordinary Story of an Afghan Who Dared to Raise Her Voice. Stephen de Tarczynski’s description of Malalai in this excerpted interview also brings Fowzia to mind — small in stature, yet mammoth in bravery.

Slight as they are, both are living larger lives than many of us because they are compelled to expand beyond the norms that run counter to their soul and to their country’s best interests.

One of my favorite memories of Fowzia was the story she told, with great conviction and a slight smile, on a morning she surprised me with a visit and gifts.

The day before, she had attended a meeting (she was the only women in a room full of mullahs) where the men were attempting to reconcile opium poppy production (which is against Islam, or “haram”), with the dictates of the Koran. As relayed by Fowzia, she stood up, and without mincing words, told the men that they were distorting the words of the Book to justify their own destructive purposes. (The mullah’s rationale involved equating the poor economic conditions in Helmand with dying of starvation, a situation that apparently leaves one some room to kill one’s donkey, an act that is otherwise haram.)

Fowzia’s bold statement to the mullahs was just one of many examples of her truth telling. And she was willing to die for it.

Safia Amajan was Fowzia’s counterpart for Kandahar Province. Just like Fowzia, she had apparently asked for, and been refused, a protective vehicle, or bodyguards, despite repeated death threats. I don’t think I will ever forget the way Fowzia looked and sounded when she came to see me that September afternoon. Though she didn’t need to, she said she wasn’t well … her face was ashen. It seemed her strength was waning along with her faith that real, substantive progress for women would ever truly materialize (and be sustained) in southern Afghanistan.

Safia had been gunned down in front of her own home, and Fowzia was expecting to be similarly killed within days. After a year of spending time with her, it was the first and only time she seemed without hope.

Like Fowzia, Malalai often gets death threats…but I suspect and hope they draw strength from each other's courage. The latter is a virulent activist, some even might say Marxist, but one doesn’t need to completely agree with what she says to honor her conviction.

The conversations inspired by Soraya M. are not easy to have, but there is no place for wallflowers or for fear if we want to be a part changing things for the better. Until women like Soraya, Safia, Malalai and Fowzia are safe to boldly speak and live, there is much work to do.

Caution: Men at work (demolishing violence)

Saturday, 07. 25. 2009  –  By Janice  –  3 Comments

On Tuesday I posted Jimmy Carter’s brave op-ed distancing himself from the Southern Baptist Convention because of their views on women. The post prompted more dynamic dialog on the site. I was particularly struck by the words of Erin:

Although it seems that disassociating with an organization that discriminates against women is the right thing to do intellectually, especially for a man who champions human rights for all, the ability to do so emotionally can be very challenging—impossible for some.

In many cultures boys are brought up to be “tough.” The use of violence and the degradation of women are seen as mere rites of passage, or less. For many cultures and communities teaching boys to disrespect women is simply a part of their upbringing. Few men, even fathers, are willing to go against the grain and teach boys that violence, sexual conquests, and disrespecting women and elders does little to make you a “real man.”

Erin continues:

Soraya’s Aunt Zara. Zara, similar to Carter, was an elder in her village–someone who was respected (by most) for her independent thought and wisdom. Zara didn’t let the shameful stoning of Soraya go unheard or unrecognized.

Zahra was unsuccessful in saving Soraya because there were other elders in the village, male elders, who had more influence because they were male.

How can we prevent boys from growing up to be such harmful influences on their communities? There are few programs that recognize the power male elders have in preventing violence, but they make a big impact. Morally courageous men are beginning to take on the responsibility of educating boys about the true meaning of manhood, and using creative ways to spread their message and influence.

One such man is Pedro Elias of Planned Parenthood Mar Monte who I had the privilege of meeting at Planned Parenthood’s annual conference this past March. Pedro runs a Male Involvement Program for male youths that educates them about healthy relationships and expressing feelings in a non-harmful way. The ultimate goals of the program are to prevent teen pregnancy/unintended fatherhood, promote responsibility, and encourage long-term community involvement.

Pedro’s program is teaching young men about non-traditional rites of passage and encouraging them to become influential elders with an investment in their own community. The most effective curriculum is the El Joven Noble (The Noble Young Man) program designed by anti-violence activist Jerry Tello. The program relies heavily on the participation of "Elders" from the community.

The youth involved in the program are encouraged to develop the same type of investment in their communities that Pedro and the other Elders have. Pedro says the boys are encouraged to maintain a long-term relationship with the program and that many of the Elders are former program participants (or men Pedro has met through his work as an activist). Boys that remain engaged with their communities into adulthood receive recognition and support from Pedro and Planned Parenthood.

Teaching men about healthy relationships not only prevents violence and pregnancy, but also instills in youth the sense that there are blessings to being an active member of their community and an active father when the time is right.

Why aren’t there more programs like this? Pedro explains that breaking the ice and talking to youth about violence can be hard because boys don’t see violence as a problem.  Violence is so mainstream in our society the boys often see violence and rage as acceptable ways to express themselves.

Pedro uses his personal experience with domestic violence to help the boys understand the point of view of the victim. This is an effective way to keep through to the boys as they are hearing the words of a victim, but also someone they trust and respect.

When I met Pedro I was struck by his warm personality, his enthusiasm for his work, and I was thrilled to hear about his innovative program. However, the question remained in the back of my head: “is Pedro the exception to the rule? Is there a way to encourage more men to care about this issue?”

I asked Pedro how he became interested in working with young men. “Every young man represents a unique story; however, all are young men. They are a mirror image of each other and I am a mirror image of them. I was a young man with a story as well. I had the opportunity to grow up with positive role models in my life and yet still was not the perfect young man. Not being perfect is now the medicine that reassures me and drives me to make a difference in the lives of young men.  Learning from mistakes is realizing how it originated and not repeating it again.”

Pedro is an example to all those who wish to stop the ever-increasing violence in our society and the influence elders such as those in Soraya have on society. Pedro is an especially relevant example for men who want to be active parts of the solution instead of the problem.

A Young Iranian Watches The Stoning of Soraya M.

Wednesday, 07. 22. 2009  –  By Laleh  –  6 Comments

When I told my Iranian father that Irshad invited us to watch the “Stoning of Soraya M.” on her personal MacBook, I knew he would want to come with me. We had seen the film’s star, Shohreh Aghdashloo, promote the movie many times on "Tapesh," a popular channel for Iran’s diaspora. I thought this would be a perfect opportunity for some father-daughter bonding, since my Persian-speaking father and I don’t have many opportunities to hang out together.

We watched the movie shortly after the Iranian election results had been announced. Riots were already taking place in Tehran. The government had banned the Internet and text messaging. There were only two ways that Iranians could tell the world what was happening — first, by connecting to the Internet through proxy servers and second, by phoning people outside of Iran (with the risk that conversations would be wire-tapped).

We’re talking about Iran in 2009, not 1979!

Little did I know that "The Stoning" would confirm this truth: Iran today has transformed into a victim like Soraya, the beautiful young woman killed in this film. I suppose I should not be shocked. A patriarchal society that condones injustices against humanity will ultimately become the target of injustice itself.

As we begin watching the movie, I notice that my father’s eyes are glued to the screen. We see how a husband abuses his status as a man in Iran to plot against his wife, for he wants a younger wife and no financial burden of a divorcée. We see how a cleric, who is supposed to be God’s voice on earth in Shiite Islam, damages the name of God and the religion of Islam.

I think back two thousand years to Talmudic times in ancient Babylon and Israel. I recall how the Rabbis used their reasoning to ban stoning, even in the case of adultery, which is one of the biggest crimes in Judaism. Long ago, even the Rabbis knew that without their reasoning, the name of God and the spirit of the Bible would be corrupted.

Interestingly enough, in Shiite Islam, mullahs have the opportunity to use ijtihad, or independent reasoning, to arbiter a case. Ijtihad can allow Islam, like Judaism, to be a religion that constantly evolves yet simultaneously remains true to its roots.

But in “The Stoning of Soraya M,” the mullah not only lets innocent blood be shed; he actually helps the husband carry out his deceitful intentions. The mullah even proposes to Soraya a sigheh, or temporary marriage, which is equivalent to prostitution in Iran. News reports have documented the rise of this phenomenon in Iran. It’s not, as some skeptics would wish, a Hollywood fantasy.

An hour in, we are engrossed in the film. But my father, the sensitive man he is, and I, someone who can’t stand the sight of blood, turn away as the stoning scenes begin. My father holds his heart and lowers the computer screen. “Let’s go home,” he whispers to me.

“Daddy joon, I will skip over this part, I promise.” I realize the irony of it all. We, as a comfortable minority in America, have the privilege of closing our eyes to the cruel act of stoning. Meanwhile, Soraya, part of an Iranian majority known as women, doesn’t have a chance of escaping the deep hole in which she has been buried.

Then, I realize something more. What happened to Soraya as an individual is happening to the Iranian people as a collective. Soraya’s aunt narrates the story, putting her life at risk because, as she exclaims, “the world must know!”

As I write this, the Iranian people are being robbed of their voice, and the whole world knows. Now that we know, what will we do?

Is President Carter the new feminist-in-chief?

Tuesday, 07. 21. 2009  –  By Janice  –  8 Comments

A guest post by Andrea last week prompted a dynamic dialog about solidarity. During the discussion one of our activists and fellow guest bloggers, Dana, filled us in on a bold, brave move made recently by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter. Carter has taken the remarkably morally courageous move to publicly distance himself from the Southern Baptist Convention, of which he has been a member for six decades. While the decision has many wondering "what took you so long?" the public statement is a brave stand for a man to make. Discrimination against women is something that most women see, but most men are not willing to acknowledge. We at the Moral Courage Project salute President Carter and encourage all our readers to read his statement, printed in its entirety below.

Jimmy Carter

The words of God do not justify cruelty to women

Jimmy Carter, The Observer Sunday 12 July 2009

ACTION ALERT: Iranian women human rights defender beaten and arrested

Monday, 07. 20. 2009  –  By Janice  –  Comments Off

From Women Living Under Muslim Laws. Shadi is a member of the Stop Stoning Forever Campaign. She needs all Moral Courage activists to demand her release. Please read and take action now:

Ms. Shadi Sadr

19/07/2009: WLUML is deeply concerned to learn that our colleague and friend, Ms. Shadi Sadr, was beaten and arrested by plainclothes officers in Tehran, Iran on the morning of Friday 17 July 2009.

Online sources, including Iran Emrooz and Twitter, confirm reports that around 11:30 on the morning of Friday 17 July 2009, our colleague and friend, Shadi Sadr, was abducted by a group of unknown men in civilian clothes (possibly security forces) while she was walking to the Friday Prayer sermon. Apparently her friends tried to pull her away from her abductors but they were unable to do so. She was forced into a car and taken away.

Ms. Sadr is a human rights lawyer who especially defends the rights of women in Iran. She is also a Council member of WLUML, as well as part of the Stop Stoning Forever Campaign and Meydaan.

Friends in Iran report "…the regime has become very brutal over the past weeks, and the numbers of activists, journalists and intellectuals who are under arrest and in jail has increased exponentially. More trouble is expected today at the Friday prayer sermon, which Moussavi will also be attending."

Eye-witnesses report that Ms. Sadr was also "hit badly and dragged so badly that her scarf and manteau was removed from her".

Her abductors did not show any identity cards or warrants. Her friends and colleagues who witnessed the kidnapping say they tried to intervene but were met with violent force and Sadr was dragged away. They also report of another car (reported as a Mercedes) acting as back up for the Peugeot. As of yet, it is not clear where she has been taken or who has arrested her.

17 July 2009

Source: WLUML Networkers

An eyewitness account of the abduction is available here: http://meydaan.org/english/showarticle.aspx?arid=848

UPDATE: The security Police have investigated Shadi Sadr's office and home

On the heel of the July 17, 2009 illegal arrest of Shadi Sadr, apprehended on Keshavarz Boulevard by plainclothes government officers en route to the site of Friday Prayers, her spouse Hossein Niachian, sent word that several officers had introduced themselves to him as security forces. An hour beforehand, they had searched throughout their home and office, taking away some papers, documents, and two computer cases that had belonged to their little daughter and him. The inspection took several hours, as they ransacked the house and their ten-year-old daughter was present.

Then the officials demanded from Niachian that he leave for them the key to Sadr’s office, and after he expressed he didn’t know of the key’s whereabouts, they announced that they would go themselves to her law office and would search it.

Before sending news that this had happened, Niachian said Sadr had contacted him after her arrest. She called from the mobile that had originally belonged to her husband and asked for the pin code of the SIM card. Her husband asked her questions. She said that she couldn’t say where she was, but in order to follow up with her file, he had to go to the same place where she was arrested previously. Niachian said that Shadi had meant the Revolutionary Court; he was guessing they had transferred her to Evin Prison. Shadi knew her daughter was growing impatient so she spoke with her for a few moments and said to trust her that she was doing okay and would be freed soon.

Niachian said that Shadi suffers from a serious glandular and bone illness which leaves her in intense pain and for such reasons has to take certain pills. She was in the process of having it remedied and had expected to have surgery for this condition next week. Her husband also said that tomorrow he intended to head to the Revolutionary Court to follow up on her case.

17 July 2009

Source: http://meydaan.org/english/showarticle.aspx?arid=850

WHAT YOU CAN DO

We call upon the women's rights community and all human rights activists and organizations to speak out in defense of Shadi Sadr and all those who are being unjustly persecuted in Iran for their non-violent dissent. You can write in Persian, English, or your own language.

Please write to local and international media, mobilize your networks, and urge your policy makers and embassies as well as UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and High Commissioner for Human Rights Navanethem Pillay to take action to protect the basic human rights of all those who are being abused and arrested in Iran.

Your letter can:

* call on the authorities to release Shadi Sadr immediately and unconditionally, as she is a prisoner of conscience, held solely for her human rights activities and the peaceful exercise of her rights to freedom of expression;

* stress that Ms. Sadr's arrest was of a targeted and violent nature, and that no warrant, reason for arrest, or officer identification were provided at the time;

* urge them to disclose her whereabouts immediately, and ensure that she is allowed immediate access to her family, lawyer of her choice and any medical treatment she may require, especially as she has a reported pre-existing medical condition;

* urge the authorities to ensure that Shadi Sadr and all other detainees are protected from all forms of torture or other ill-treatment;

* call on the authorities to remove unlawful restrictions on freedoms of expression, association and assembly in Iran.

The Honorable Ban Ki-Moon
Secretary General
760 United Nations Plaza
United Nations
New York, NY 10017
Web contact: www.un.org/en/contactus/contactform.asp

Ms. Navanethem Pillay
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)
Palais des Nations
CH-1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland
Email: infodesk@ohchr.org
Tel: +41-22-917-90-00
Fax: +41-22-917-9008 or +1-212-963-4097

Ms. Margaret Sekaggya
Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights Defenders
E-mail: urgent-action@ohchr.org. The text of the e-mail should refer to the human rights defenders mandate.
Fax: +41 22 917 9006 (Geneva, Switzerland)
Telephone: +41 22 917 1234. This is the number for the United Nations telephone operator in Geneva, Switzerland . Callers should ask to speak with staff at the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights dealing with the special procedures of the Human Rights, and specifically with staff supporting the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders. Please see here for further details about filing complaints to the Special Rapporteur: http://www2.ohchr.org/english/issues/defenders/complaints.htm

Working Group on Arbitrary Detention
c/o. Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
United Nations Office at Geneva
CH-1211, Geneva 10
Switzerland
fax: +41-22-917-90-06
See model questionnaire here: http://www.unhchr.ch/html/menu6/2/fs26.htm#A5

The Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women
OHCHR-UNOG
8-14 Avenue de la Paix
1211 Geneva 10,
Switzerland
Fax: 00 41 22 917 9006
E-mail: urgent-action@ohchr.org

Leader of the Islamic Republic
Ayatollah Sayed ‘Ali Khamenei
The Office of the Supreme Leader
Islamic Republic Street – End of Shahid Keshvar Doust Street, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Email: via website: http://www.leader.ir/langs/en/index.php?p=letter (English), http://www.leader.ir/langs/fa/index.php?p=letter (Persian)
Salutation: Your Excellency

Head of the Judiciary
Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi
Howzeh Riyasat-e Qoveh Qazaiyeh (Office of the Head of the Judiciary)
Pasteur St., Vali Asr Ave., south of Serah-e Jomhouri, Tehran 1316814737, Islamic Republic of Iran
Email: shahroudi@dadgostary-tehran.ir This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it (In the subject line write: FAO Ayatollah Shahroudi)
Salutation: Your Excellency

And copies to:

Iranian Bar Association
No. 3, Zagros St.,
Argentina Sq.,
Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Fax: +98 21 8771340
or +98 21 888 6425/ 26
Email: tamas@iranbar.org This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or mail@iranbar.org

And the Iranian embassy in your country (NB: recommend telephoning and faxing before letter-writing)

Washington Times makes more false claims

Friday, 07. 17. 2009  –  By Janice  –  8 Comments

I was disappointed by the recent Washington Times article “The Stoning of Soraya M.: Vivid Portrait of Female’s plight under mullah’s” by Manda Zand Ervin. Although I have never come to expect progressive perspectives from the paper, this article was by someone who appears to care deeply about The Stoning of Soraya M, yet has a very distorted view of the community supporting the film. In the article Ervin complains about the lack of attention being given to The Stoning of Soraya M. and blames it on both “feminist American culture” and Hollywood.

Ervin seems to be unaware of the nature of the film industry and blames American feminists (a popular scapegoat) for the film not currently being shown worldwide, including to Congress: “How can these powerful women on your side of the world be so indifferent toward the women in this globalized world of theirs? How can they think for one minute that their freedom and equality is worth anything as long as there are women living under these conditions?”

Part of the reason the film has gained so much media attention is precisely because of the determination of women such as myself, and suggesting that all American women are “indifferent” to the plight of women in other parts of the world is as counter productive as making a generalized statement about women from any part of the globe.

I speak for not only myself but many feminists I know personally when I say it is very important to me that this film not only be widely viewed, but that human rights abuses against women in Islamic countries are exposed and stopped. I take offense to anyone who makes such generalized statements about American women, just like I take offense to anyone who would want to paint all Iranian women as being the same.

I wonder if Ervin is aware that the very existence of the film is largely due to the efforts of Betsy Nowrasteh, an American woman. While I don’t know if Betsy considers herself a feminist (I would love to ask her!), it is worth pointing out her involvement to someone who accuses powerful American women of being so indifferent to the plight of women outside the U.S.

Ervin not only complains that American women are indifferent to the plight of other women, she complains that those “trust fund” or “Hollywood” American women that do visit Iran return to refer to it as the “exotic Islamic Third World.” I would personally like to ask Ervin to send me any articles or statements from American women referring to Iran as the “exotic Islamic Third World” so that I can respond. I could find no such statements.

Ervin further chastises American feminists:  “In fact, the feminist American culture, the Hollywood culture, is a major issue that Islamists such as the late Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, Osama bin Laden, Hezbollah, the Muslim Brotherhood and the Taliban have against America and the West.”

Okay, so Khomeini, bin Laden, Hezbollah and the Muslim Brotherhood all hate American feminism, this is no surprise to me. But is Ervin suggesting that this should be a reason for American feminists to alter their strategy in some way? People who hate American feminism hate it because it stands for female equality, something that all misogynists despise. Surely Ervin is not suggesting that bin Laden and friends hate “feminist American culture” because it is not trying hard enough to get The Stoning of Soraya M. played in U.S. Congress, or is she?

Is Ervin suggesting that bin Laden and friends hate “feminist American culture” because we are weak and indifferent to the plight of the women in their countries? If so, they are as unaware about the true nature of feminism in this country as Ervin herself seems to be.

“But this culture supports the Islamists by its silence and indifference to the issue of human rights. "The Stoning of Soraya M." should have received many Academy Awards, many Cannes awards, many movie reviews.”

There have been hundreds of reviews and stories published about the film, much more than its limited release would have suggested. Furthermore, it is perhaps a tribute to the passion Americans have for exposing this story that it has actually already won several awards. The Stoning of Soraya M. won an Audience Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival, a Heartland Truly Moving Picture Award, and the Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature at the Los Angeles Film Festival. The nominations for this year’s Academy Awards have not been released yet, but the film is definitely generating what you may call Oscar “buzz.”

“It is the least the culture can do for the Iranian women suffering for their human rights that American feminists exploit.”

I would agree with Ervin when she says that promoting the film is the least American feminists can do, but what proof does Ervin have when claiming that we exploit Iranian women? Ervin accuses American feminists, many of whom are perhaps among the strongest supporters of Iranian reform and human rights, of both being indifferent to the plight of women in other parts of the world, but also exploiting their plights for our own gain. However, when it comes to evoking the image of a group of women to further a personal agenda, it appears that Ervin herself is evoking the stereotypical image of self absorbed, ignorant, Americans to further her agenda. The truth is that the best way for all feminists to expose injustices is to work together rather than falsely accuse each other.

In preparation for this piece I tried to first contact Ervin to tell her about the Moral Courage Project’s summer campaign. The article did not include an email address so I left two unreturned calls with the Washington Times asking to be put in touch. I also attempted to look up her organization, Alliance of Iranian Women, but could find no web page for the group. I welcome a response from Ervin at any time and would love for her to know about the hard work American feminists are doing to make sure Soraya’s story is told.

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