As Part of Women's Day event organized by supporters of One Million Signatures Campaign in California

Dr. Sondra Hale is Professor of Anthropology and Women’s Studies, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)(UCLA); Co-Founder and ex-Co-editor of The Journal of Middle East Women’s Studies (JMEWS); ex- Co-Chair, Islamic Studies; and former chair of Women’s Studies. Prof. Hale received her Ph.D. in Anthropology and M.A. in African Studies from UCLA. She has taught at the University of Khartoum, California Institute of the Arts, and at California State Universities, Long Beach and Northridge, where she headed both Women’s Studies units. Prof. Hale has published Gender Politics in Sudan: Islamism, Socialism, and the State (translated into Arabic and forthcoming in Sudan) and many articles and book chapters on gendered war/conflict and genocide; social movements; international gender studies; gender and citizenship; the politics of memory; and Diaspora studies. Her regional interests are in the Middle East and Africa, focused mainly on Sudan and Eritrea. Hale is currently co- editing “Sudan’s Killing Fields: Perspectives on Genocide, with Laura Beny.

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Dr. Faiza Shereen was born in Alexandria, Egypt. Faiza Shereen (née Wahby) spent most of her adult life in the US, having come to this country as a student. She received her Ph.D. in English and Comparative Literature from the University of Cincinnati, with specialization in literary and art theory. Later, in her post-doctoral research, she focused her theoretical scholarship on postcolonial literature, researching, for example, the "language" of francophone writers of North Africa. Dr. Shereen was the recipient of several government grants, among them two Fulbright Senior Scholar grants that took her and her family to Morocco, where she researched contemporary (postcolonial) literature in French, tracing story-telling back to Berber oral traditions and Bedouin legends. Dr. Shereen taught at Alexandria University, Harvey Mudd College of the Claremont Colleges, University of La Verne, and the University of Cincinnati in various capacities, but she spent most of her academic career at the University of Dayton, which she left as tenured full professor in 2005 to accept the position of Senior International Officer and Director of the International Center at Cal Poly Pomona.

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Elham Gheytanchi is a sociologist, writer and blogger. She teaches at Santa Monica College. Her scholarly articles, opinion columns, essays, and book reviews on women’s rights in Iran have appeared in International Sociology Journal, Mobilization Journal as well as host of online and print media such as CNN 360, Huffington Post, Ms Magazine, Boston Globe and San Francisco Chronicle. She has worked for National Public Radio (NPR) as associate producer (2001-2). She is also the author of Persian articles on Iranian politics and culture, poems, and short stories published in Persian websites and journals.

By Roja Bandari

What goes into using provocative writing as a tool for feminist activism? As an example, I study a piece written by Iranian lawyer and feminist activist Shadi Sadr that created a great deal of discussion among Iranian bloggers in the diaspora and some inside Iran. Because of Sadr’s prominence and reputation as a political figure and an authority on issues of women’s and human rights, and because of the provocative nature of her piece, the writing received a great deal of coverage in the virtual world and created passionate discussions on the web, and in turn found its way to satellite television channels that broadcast to Iran.

I explore anger as the dominant tone of the letter as well as the use of a language of exposure as a source of provocation and drama that I view as what led to the large attention received by the piece. I attempt to observe the affective world created through this letter in what Sara Ahmed calls “emotion as a form of cultural politics” (Ahmed 12) and the strategic foresight that could be considered in this kind of provocation as a political act.

I intentionally make the assumption that the piece was written with some larger goal in Shadi Sadr’s mind and not simply as a way to vent out anger without seeking a desired effect, even though we might not be able to exactly locate what the desired goal was.

It is also important that I situate myself as an Iranian woman who is active in the Iranian women’s rights movement. Although I consider the use of provocation an effective tactic at certain times, I don’t personally consider it my preferred form of activism, mainly because of my own discomfort with the lack of control that comes with the affective world created in such situations. I must also make known my own ambivalence about Sadr’s letter and my discomfort with a lot of what the letter seems to do in my opinion. With this in mind, I have attempted to look at this letter with as neutral of a lens as was possible for me, and question my own assumptions about the negative effects of the piece.

By Elahe Amani

Nasrin Soutoudeh, one of Iran’s most prominent human rights and women’s rights activist went on a hunger strike for the second time on October 31st to protest her unlawful detention and ill treatment in Iran’s Evin Prison. Nasrin Soutoudeh has been in detention since September 4th and denied visit with her lawyer since her arrest. Last week for the first time her two children, three and eleven years old visited her in prison. The children left Evin prison with a broken heart. They found their mother in poor heath and so frail that she could not even hug them. Nasrin Sotoudeh is charged with “acting against national security,” “congregation and collusion with intent to disrupt national security,” and “cooperation with the Center for Human Rights Defenders.” She described the charges against her as “absurd” in an interview with the International Campaign for Human Rights in early September. Four months prior to her arrest, the authorities had warned her in a phone call that if she does not withdraw from Shirin Ebadi’s defense, she would ” get into trouble.” Nasrin’s trial is set for November 15th but with a dry hunger strike from October 31st, she may not live to see her trial.

Nasrin is a fine human being, a devoted women’s rights activists and a dedicated lawyer to the cause of justice. She is a member of the Campaign for One Million Signature and the Defenders Human Rights Center. Her professional life is dedicated to the cause of civil and political rights in Iran. She defended Nobel Laureate Shirin Ebadi and has contributed to the legal literature of issues such as death penalty for Juvenile offenders and women’s human rights.

Last Update: Feb 23th, 2010

Arrests Statistics in a nutshell:

In the past three years, from the beginning of Campaign’s activity on August 27, 2006 until today, more than fifty activists of the One Million Signatures Campaign have been arrested. Many have been summoned to appear in court without an official arrest warrant; more than fifteen people have been summoned to appear at the offices of security forces, and have been repeatedly interrogated. 
Some of the legal cases against them are still waiting for the court’s final ruling while a few such as Aliyeh Eghdamdoost are serving long prison sentences.  Most activists are released on provision of personal or third party guarantees or the posting of bail; a total of $465,418 in third party guarantees and $232,205 in bail is the price Campaign activists have paid for temporary freedom until their court date or while waiting for the court’s final ruling.

The Many Faces of Pressure:

The pretext for most of the arrests is collecting signatures including in parks, in the metro, in the mountains, and until now sixteen people have been arrested in Tehran and been sent to prison. They have received varying treatment in the courts, ranging from acquittal to one year suspended sentences.
Two of the Campaign activists have been arrested and arraigned for working on two websites “Zanestan” and “Change for Equality”. Similarly, one person was arrested for conducting interviews and videotaping Campaign members, two individuals for hosting gatherings at their home and one for speaking to media and spreading news about the arrest of her spouse.
Twenty-five individuals were arrested for organizing and or participating in a workshop in the city of Khorramabad. All other detainees besides three were released after twelve hours and no legal case was brought against them.
Unofficial summons and search of homes of women rights’ activists are among other forms of pressure on these equality-seeking activists.  In addition, membership in the One Million Signatures Campaign has been used as an excuse for more pressure against activists which undergo interrogations for other reasons.

During the 42 months since the start of the One Million Signatures Campaign, on average 2 campaign members have been arrested, interrogated, or a court case was opened for them every month.  Meanwhile, according to reports by women’s rights defenders and campaign members in other provinces, several campaign members have been interrogated in cities such as Esfahan, Shiraz, Kermanshah, Anzali, Rasht, and Hamedan.

Besides detentions and charges, at least seven (7) members of the campaign have so far been prevented from leaving the country by security forces. Several campaign members have been expelled from their universities and are banned from continued education.  At least two (2) members have been fired and are banned from working in their own profession.

Calendar of Arrests:

June 12th, 2006: At least seventy (70) activists were arrested for participating in a peaceful gathering in 7th Tir Square in Tehran. At the present time details of only fourteen (14) of these cases are available.