Who We Are

The 8 March Women’s Organization (Iranian – Afghanistani)

We are a grouping of women from Iran and Afghanistan, women from different backgrounds and with various degrees of experience in social and political activities. We first joined together at the end of 1997 to work towards the elimination of sexual oppression and male-chauvinist relations. Some of us come from the experience of 1979 revolution in Iran where woman’s movement started against the imposition of veil. Some started by opposing the Taliban in Afghanistan. Some are active in leftist organizations and some of us just have had enough of being treat second class human beings by society and or our families. But we have one thing in common: our will to struggle against oppression of women.

We believe that the struggle for liberation of women is a political struggle, and when women rise up against patriarchal relations, they will inevitably get involved in politics. Politics, we believe, is the arena where we can settle accounts with the system of patriarchy and the resulting sexual oppression. But by politics, we don’t mean the ruling politics of statesmen but politics independent from the reactionary Islamic fundamentalist rulers and those justifying their rule. We believe that in order to achieve their goals, women’s struggle should be independent of male-supremacist rulers of the world, this struggle needs to be independent of men, also.

At the same time, women can intervene in social and more specifically in political sphere only if they free themselves from the chains holding them back at home.

We strive to struggle against all forms of women’s oppression, both overt and hidden. We do not favor the more subtle and “softer” forms of oppression suffered by our sisters in the West and we see ourselves side by side with women in the West against male supremacist states and male-supremacists relations dominant in these countries.

Our activities consist of initiating or participating in campaigns around social and political issues. This has included campaigns against execution of women, including stoning to death of women in Iran and Afghanistan, for the so-called crime of adultery, prostitution etc.; campaigns in defense of refugee rights and against the persecution and massacre of political prisoners. We have also actively participated in struggles against the US and the West invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq. Every year we celebrate the International Women’s Day, March 8 and we strive to carry out these celebrations along with our sisters from around the world. More recently we have launched a campaign along with other women activists to Abolish All Unequal Legislation Against Women in Iran. We have branches in Germany, UK, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Canada and Turkey.

We publish a quarterly since 2001 called Hashte Mars (March 8 in Farsi), besides articles on the situation of women in Afghanistan and their struggle, discussions within Iranian women’s movement and feminist awareness issues, we also carry political analysis and exposure of imperialism and reaction as well as cultural criticism all with women’s interest in view. We strive to be a tribune for those women who fearlessly expose patriarchy and male supremacy.

Our website (www.8mars.com) helps more widely propagate progressive women’s views as well as reports and women’s struggle worldwide.

We don’t see struggle against the oppression of women in Iran and Afghanistan isolated from the rest of the world and we participate in different seminars to let people hear about our situation. This year’s participation in anti-G8 gathering in Scotland was and example where, at the same time as making common cause with those young and old who believe ‘another world is possible’, we exposed those who unconditionally supported Islamic fundamentalists struggle against the US pointing out that oppressing half of the population cannot lead to the liberation of humanity.

We are an independent organization who relies on nothing but our own effort in this struggle. And we call on our women and those who see themselves in the side of struggle against patriarchy to come to our support. You can spread the word about the situation of women in Iran and Afghanistan, let everybody know about the struggle, come to our meetings, and support us financially so that we can spread the word of the resistance and struggle of women from Iran and Afghanistan to the world and together we can drive patriarchy away.

The 8 March Women’s Organization

October 2005

www.8mars.com

zan_dem_iran@hotmail.com