Three years ago, the world bid farewell to prominent feminist activist, Jina (Mahsa) Amini in Iran, touching off the globally recognized Woman, Life, Freedom movement. This movement was born in a context of increasing geopolitical entanglement and the brave challenge it posed to local autocracy. This was underscored by the military conflict between Israel and Iran in June 2025, which was projected in varying hues in both Persian-language and international media. Despite its global implications, the media’s discussions usually settled into a distastefully obvious polarization, endorsing their choice geopolitical factions or avoiding dissension by remaining mute on the unfavorable actions of favorite governments.
In this scenario, the voices of Iranian leftist feminists stand conspicuously missing. These courageous individuals, even under harsh domestic suppression, resist succumbing to international military intervention. Simultaneously, they denounce the conduct of their own government. Enlightened insights from these individuals end up being omitted from the mainstream narrative. Such disregarding of grassroots initiatives takes place even as civil society organizations within Iran vociferously articulate their opposition to Israel’s invasion of Iran, while also confronting the harsh realities of their home country, the Islamic republic of Iran.
The situation in Iran is indicative of these feminist activists’ duality of repudiation towards both domestic tyranny and foreign control. Consequent to the Woman, Life, Freedom movement, these fighters emerged challenging the false dichotomies propagated by state powers. They refused to compromise their principles, exhibiting authentic solidarity with oppressed individuals while vehemently opposing all forms of subjugation.
Iran’s civil society’s independent and progressive voices have often dealt with a challenging environment when it comes to visibility and representation. This issue becomes glaring especially during times of conflict. Grassroots organizing and activism face crippling impediments due to the living conditions under the Islamic regime in Iran. Such an oppressive setting brought about by overarching security force structures, limits their ability to conduct widespread organizing on the ground.
Subsequently, activism has had to find refuge in secrecy, existing in the form of inconspicuous groups and circles. The goal is to avoid unsolicited attention and mitigate potential threats. In tandem, the dominant voices in the international Persian-speaking news media, in a bid to maintain their political narrative promoting ‘regime change,’ downplay the existence of these brave fighters and sideline their voices.
These media entities, striving to shift the responsibility and prerogative for societal change from internal progressive movements to external agencies, manipulate the representation of internal struggles in Iran. They do so for promoting their own interests and objectives, favoring state powers outside of Iran’s borders like Israel during moments of conflict like the 12-day war.
These voices often bring to light the harsh realities in Iran only when they align with their colonial and right-wing agendas. An example is the appropriation of the Woman, Life, Freedom movement that surfaced in 2022. This was a progressive initiative rooted in public power and feminist resistance. However, over time, it faced significant backlash in the form of mass arrests and general suppression of civil activism.
The original mantra of ‘Jin, Jîyan, Azadî’ (known to us as ‘Woman, Life, Freedom’), which was initiated by women’s rights activists at Jina Amini’s vigil in Saqqez, Kurdistan managed to reverberate in cities far and wide. Over time, however, it was effectively co-opted by Western entities who twisted it to serve their own interests and narrative. Concurrently, the original slogan saw itself replaced with reactionary counters like ‘Man, Homeland, Prosperity’ further diluting its relevance.
To the shock of many, the same phrase once used to rally Iranians was echoed by none other than Netanyahu as justification for his assault on the Iranian populace. A recent revelation showed a disturbing invocation of the movement, with an Israeli flight technician inscribing a homage to Mahsa Amini on munitions destined for Iran.
Zahra Ali, an Iraqi feminist, has incisively questioned the motivations of Western supporters of Woman, Life, Freedom in the wake of Israeli aggression. Amidst the violence and human toll of Israeli bombing in Tehran, she criticized the startling silence from the same Western backers who had lauded the movement previously. She asked, aren’t Iranian women worth defending when the liberation does not feed the colonial ambition of the white feminists?
Following the Israeli attack, women and feminist advocates, both within the country and among those displaced, used social platforms and conventional media to publicly decry the war. During a time when dominant Persian-language outlets abroad and major social media narratives endeavored to justify the ‘targeted’ incursions and downplay civilians’ deaths, inside Iran, it was the feminist journalists who revealed the truth.
They reported on the displacement, the obliteration of residential zones, the tragic human toll, and instances of public resistance and care. Such opposition against Israeli military exploitation stands as a testament to an alternative feminist politics where one might condemn internal despotism while also rejecting war and external military aggression.
These activists truly understand the intricacies of this two-fold opposition, recognizing that enduring resistance not only entails responding to imminent crises, but also necessitates establishing resilient structures that can evolve and adjust during periods of escalated suppression.
They bring their understanding to practice through tangible actions that concurrently uphold life and maintain resistance. This narrative is part of those who stake everything to define it – in streets, within prison cells, and during solitary moments when they choose nurturing over vengeance, planning over despair, and collective ambitions over imposed liberties.
The post Iran’s Forgotten Feminists: The Undying Struggle Against Autocracy and Intervention appeared first on Real News Now.
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