15th November 2022
A Palestinian message to Iranian women and men
Since mid-September, after the murder of the Iranian Kurdish woman, Jina “Mahsa” Amini by the “morality police,” images of revolt against the Islamic Republic of Iran have been circulated to us. We followed pictures of girls and women, leading the protests and shouting, “Women, Life, Freedom.” In return, they paid a heavy price: repression, arrest, disappearance, and murder.
The Iranian regime did not start its repression recently. Their crimes are a continuous oppression against their own people and other peoples in the region. For more than 40 years, the regime has utilised people's suffering for its geopolitical goals.
Now, a group of young Iranian demonstrators are facing death sentences against the backdrop of protests. The Islamic Republic of Iran wants them to be a "lesson" to anyone who would dare protest against it.
In light of this, Palestine comes into play. The Iranian regime exploits the justice of the Palestinian cause and Palestinian suffering from Israeli occupation and ethnic cleansing. It uses the Palestinian cause to grant itself legitimacy. Then, the regime abuses its authority to silence, suppress and persecute all those who demand a minimum threshold of freedoms and a decent life. This is particularly true for Iranian girls and women, against whom the regime practises Iran's worst form of persecution. Not to forget, Kurdish women, who pay a double price, for belonging to both a gender minority and an ethnic minority.
We, the undersigned, Palestinian women and men living in Palestine or the Diaspora, wish to send the following message to Iranian women and men, whether in the streets of their country, or in exile, dreaming of their return after being banned from Iran since Islamists came to power:
"We are with you. We know very well that a regime that oppresses its own people and kills its own women and men cannot support our freedom as a Palestinian people, nor our just cause. We cannot accept that our freedom comes at the expense of any other people’s freedom."
Freedom for Iran... Freedom for Palestine!
Jin, Jiyan, Azadi,
Zen, Zandegi, Azadi
Women, Life, Freedom
(If you would like to add your signature, please send your name and occupation to PalestiniansIranians@gmail.com)
Signatures| Name, Occupation:
Rasha Hilwi, Writer and Journalist
Ghassan Zaqtan, Poet, Novelist and Journalist
Ibrahim Abu Hashhash, University Professor and Writer
Anton Shalhat, Writer, Critic and Researcher
Amer Badran, Poet and Doctor
Hasan Khader, Writer and Literary Critic
Honaida Ghanem, Researcher in Sociology
Reem Talhami, musician and actress
Alaa Hlehel, Writer and Novelist
Saleh Masharqeh, University Professor
Nahed Abo Tueima, Feminist Activist and University Lecturer
Jumana Mustafa, Poet and Journalist
Terez Sliman, Musician
Tarik Hamdan, Poet and Journalist
Qassim Al- Massri, Doctor
Himmat Zu’bi, Academic
Mustafa Abu Hanoud, Actor and Theater Director
Omar Suleiman, Theatre Director and Activist
Jadal Al-Qasim, Poet and Writer
Abir Kopty, Writer and Journalist
Amer Hlehel, Actor
Asmaa’ Azaizeh, Poet and Journalist
Simon Nassar, Writer and Journalist
Fatin Farhat, Activist and Cultural Manager
Maisa Mansour, Writer and Activist
Karim Abu Alroos, Writer and Activist
Anas Alaili, Poet and Academic
Meisa Irshaid, Lawyer
Sobhi Khatib, University Lecturer
Eyad Barghuthy, Writer and Novelist
Ghayath Almadhoun, Poet
Mary Ann Jaraisy, Graphic designer
Nawaf Radwan, Poet and Journalist
Fida Shehada, “Women Against Weapons Coalition” Coordinator
Bana Shoughry, Lawyer
Camelia Ibrahim- Dwairy, Psychotherapist and Academic Lecturer
Abeer Baker, Lawyer, Human Rights Advocate and Legal Advisor
Maram Massarwi, Academic Lecturer
Saleem Albeik, Writer
Khulood Ershied, Feminist Activist
Mohammed Tayseer, Writer and Translator
Ola Alsheikh, Journalist
Dana Alsheikh, Visual Artist and Journalist
Kifah Abdul Halim, Translator and Cultural Producer
Akram Musallam, Novelist and Journalist
Sabreen AbdulRahman, Cultural Manager
Samya Ayish, Journalist
Aya Zinatey, Feminist and Political Activitst
Hana Amoury, Social Activist
Farah Barqawi, Writer, Editor and Feminist Activist
Ali Mawassi, Writer and Journalist
Sherene Seikaly, Author and Associate Professor
Ibrahim Abusitta, Visual Artist
Dina Mohammed Omar, Academic and Activist
Dina Mohammed Omar, Academic and Activist
Mohammad Qasem, Journalist and Communication Specialist
Reem Shadid, Cultural Curator and Organiser
Mariam Afifi, Musician
Lana Sadeq, Coordinator of Development Projects
Fairouze Nustas, Theatre Artist
Hamza Badran, Artist
Randa Obeidat, Engineer
Jamil Dakwar, International Human Rights Lawyer
Carol Mansour, Documentary Filmmaker
Sarah Amawi, Market Research Manager
Nisal Mohana, Journalist
Yazan Khalili, Artist
Yaser Abu Areesha, Journalist and Human Rights Activist
Marzuq Halabi, Writer
Izabel Ramadan, Academic Lecture
Maha Igbaria, Human Rights Lawyer and Activist
Leena Dallasheh, University Professor
(If you would like to add your signature, please send your name and occupation to PalestiniansIranians@gmail.com)
