On March 8th, International Women's Day, I Think of..... by Niloufar Pourzand

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On the occasion of International Women's Day, 8th March, what do I think, as an Iranian feminist, activist, academic & practitioner/mother/spouse/relative/friend/colleague…beyond this year's slogan of "Rights, Justice, Action for ALL Women & Girls"?

I think of over 40 million Iranian girls & women under US & Israeli bombardment - being killed, injured or alive to take care of others around them, surviving one hour to another, bearing witness - after years & decades of incredible resistance against the Regime's discriminatory & oppressive policies & actions.

I think of our female political prisoners - the most courageous amongst us - hearing bombs fall around them & possibly on their loved ones outside. I think of the thousands of girls & women who protested in the early days of January & were targeted & killed by the Regime. I think of Zan, Zendegi, Azadi - Woman, Life, Freedom.

I think of the girls & women of Afghanistan, their strength & resilience in the face of decades of conflict, forced displacement, fundamentalism & now again, Taliban's gender apartheid policies & actions. Remembering IWD we celebrated clandestinely in Kabul & Jalalabad circa the year 2000 with UNICEF colleagues & partners.

I think of Yanar Mohammad, outspoken & secular Iraqi feminist & founder of the Organization of Women's Freedom & shelters for victims of gender-based violence, assassinated last week in Baghdad. And the brave Kurdish girls & women of Rojava whose democratic efforts to practice true equality in the face of immense pressure and onslaught remains inspiring.

I think of the 30,000 girls & women killed in Gaza by Israel including Fatma Hassouna captured in the moving documentary by Sepideh Farsi, Take Your Soul In Your Hand. And those who have survived & keep their families & communities alive, infusing them with hope, resistance & memories.

I think of my Iranian great grandmother, grandmother & mother, their strength, character, dignity & history as mirrors of our collective history - amongst the colorful tapestry of Iran's diverse trajectories. I lovingly think of my two wonderful daughters, and how they are & will take our story to its next destination. And also my students, past & present, each moving forward towards different pathways but hopefully all contributing to positive changes.

But most of all I think of Iran & this terrible war by the US & Israel & all that has been built by the hardworking hands of its men & women & is being now destroyed for their insatiable hunger for power & profit. I think of peace.

On International Women's Day, I dream of peace to continue our struggle for equality, social justice & freedom.

Photos: Dr. Mohammed Mossadegh, Tehran, IWD with Hafiza Rasouli in Kabul, "brothers" in Afghanistan & my mother, Susan Mossadeghi.