Dali Jeryan speaks in Finglas

dublin | rights, freedoms and repression | news report

Wednesday March 12, 2008 11:04

by John - Hands Off the People of Iran - HOPI

Iranian struggle highlighted on International Womens Day

Dali Jeyran a poliitical activist in Iran was invited by Parents Alone Support Service to speak at a series of meetings in Finglas on the 6th of March about the current situation in Iran and, particularly, the plight of women in Iran struggling against the regime. The meetings were organised by PASS as our celebration of International Womens’ Day.

The meetings took place in; St Heleana’s House, Project West and Rosehill House and over 100 local people attended them. The meetings were chaired by Bernie Hughes, the PASS Development Worker and the meeting agenda started with an introduction from Bernie followed by an Introductory talk by Dali followed by a questions and answers session.

In her introduction Bernie stated, “It’s worth mentioning that 60 or 70 years ago the situation in Ireland was equally oppressive to women and that there is still an ongoing battle here for equality. Women in Ireland only got the right to vote in 1922 and this wasn't given without a fight, Hannah Sheey Skeffington and other feminists were imprisoned during that struggle. In the 1960's and 70's women risked jail to highlight the lack of contraception in the Irish Republic. Many brave women have fought and continue to fight for women's issues”.

“I also think it is worthwhile to speak a little about International Womens Day itself, because the history of IWD is a history of women taking action. It was inspired by a mass meeting for the right to vote for women called in New York City in 1908. Socialist Clara Zetkin, an extraordinary feminist who spent her lifetime committed to the advancement of women, proposed at an International Conference of Socialist Women in 1910 the idea of an International Women's Day”.

“Our speaker today DALI JEYRAN is one example of the courage and determination of all women who struggle in Iran. She is a women's and political rights activist recently arrived from Iran. She has been involved in the struggles against the government there. She has been involved in solidarity work with trade unionists and students and also campaigned for prisoner's rights. She has been at the forefront of providing information about what is happening in Iran out to activists abroad. She is also opposed to any war or sanctions on Iran”

Dali opened her speech thanking the Staff and Management of Finglas South CDP, St Helena's Family Resource Centre and the Finglas Cabra Partnership for their invitation and support for this event. Dali is a member of Hands Off the People of Iran (HOPI). Her speech was entitled “A look at the lives of Iranian people”is reprinted here in full;

"The leaders of the religious Islamic state in Iran constantly bring misery to ordinary people with their anti human activities. 29 years ago this regime used the issue of forced veil allegedly for combating the defenders of the Shah's regime however so many years later it is still using this issue to control and suppress women,

The capitalist regime of Iran has also designed new plans against the Iranian people . The new version of its Islamic legislation, its law regarding 'society's security' present major threats to ordinary citizens.

Sexual apartheid in the education system , sexual discrimination portrayed in books, discrimination regarding university entrance ...all damage women, not to mention the neo liberal economic policies of the Iranian regime and the threat of war that have engulfed our region.

All these create lack of physical and mental security for all Iranians and women in particular. The Islamic revolution has brought nothing but poverty, unemployment, prostitution, mental illness, the incapability of families to earn basic wages as well as dual repression for women in the form of sexual discrimination especially for women workers, who face double exploitation.

The anti women legislation of the Islamic regime and its Sharia punishments against women has no limit. They use anti human legislation as if human rights had no value in this part of the world. In my country none of such rights exist, Workers, students are expelled, arrested , men and women loose their lives fighting for basic equality and freedom.

After the Islamic revolution poverty, prostitution, suicide (especially women burning themselves to death) has grown. I want to draw your attention to some of these issues. the starting age for prostitution is 13 on the other hand the regime knows it must create such terrible conditions to lengthen its rule.

But the women's movement , although facing many psychological and physical pressures is continuing its resistance and the women's independent movement has achieved some really good results. Many of these activities are by independent groups who have stayed clear of bourgeois attempts to divert their struggles. Groups are formed on the basis of the locality , given a specific area or region

# They are rank and file groups acting from below
# They try and avoid right wing influences
# They try and reduce danger to activists lives
# They work for recognition of specific conditions and social dynamics of their area of activity
# They attempt to encourage solidarity with the workers, women and students movements.

March the 8th is not just for commemorating this day, it is the day to analyse past activities and plan specific future ones. In Iran the state tries to suppress such gatherings. but they do take place even if at times women are forced to hold them in smaller groups.

The women's movement in Iran continues its fight even though it faces many obstacles despite increased poverty, prostitution, more than half of Iran's students are women and they are determined to change the situation. Today we need to revise how we fight the capitalist/religious state , hoping for the day we will win socialism."

If you would like to become involved in the Hands Off the People of Iran (HOPI) campaign you can contact them at; HOPI c/o Barracka Books, 61 Barrack Street, Cork

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Comments (7 of 7)

Regime Change?

by Bazooka Joe

Wed Mar 12, 2008 13:01

It seems to be what this person is calling for is a Regime Change. Is that correct?

This 'article' seems to be a little heavily weighted towards a hatred of the 'Islamic' 'regime' in Iran. Is this person calling for a communist government?

There are also claims made here that seem factually incorrect. The claim that there has been a rise in prostitution under the 'Islamin Regime' for instance. There is also a claim that women are committing suicide by burning themselves. I have heard neither of these claims before, even from the US and Israeli propaganda sources the scour Iran for any piece of propaganda to spin. Could you support these claims?

Fair play to one and all

by Socialist republican in finglas

Wed Mar 12, 2008 13:51

I cant believe I missed this meeting, I'm so glad to hear so many people turned up to the event in Finglas, what with political apathy being very high in the area. Congratulations to the organisers, more of this please.

Meeting

by pat c

Wed Mar 12, 2008 14:01

Dali like all HOPI members supports Internal Regime change from below.* No rational person could infer from the above article that Dali wants to see a "Communist" Iran. To oppose a Theocratic Regime does not make one a Communist. Just as you dont have to be a Communist to believe that Ireland should not be ruled by the Roman Catholic Church.

Dali has been living in Iran until a month ago.Unlike "Bazooka Joe" she is an eye-witness to the events which she is describing.

* HOPIs Campaign Demands:

No to imperialist war! For the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of US/UK troops from Iraq and all the Gulf region!
No to any imperialist intervention. The immediate and unconditional end to sanctions on Iran.
No to the theocratic regime!
Opposition to Israeli expansionism and aggression!
Support to all working class and progressive struggles in Iran against poverty and repression!
Support for socialism, democracy and workers' control in Iran!
For a nuclear-free Middle East as a step towards a nuclear-free world!

For the full statement:
http://www.hopoi.org/main.html

by Drew - WPRM

Wed Mar 12, 2008 14:57

wprm_ireland at yahoo dot com

It sounds like it was a great meeting and I am dead sorry I missed it.

Pro war Propaganda?

Thu Mar 13, 2008 23:10

Thank you for clarifying that this person, whom I have never heard of before and whose credentials you have not shown, is a socialist opposed to the Islamic Government of Iran and not a Communist. I was perhaps not sure since I read Yassamine Mather of Hopi in the British Communist rag, 'Weekly Worker', late last year.

In that interview she expressed her view that the present leadership of the Stop the War Campaign is in danger of actually discrediting the anti-war movement. Why is a HOPOI spokesperson openly opposing the anti-war movement?

http://www.cpgb.org.uk/worker/695/stwc%20mather.htm

I would urge you to read her provarication when asked what HOPOI is doing to stop the war on Iran. It says a lot about their objective.

For 'Dali'and indeed Yassamine, the Islamic Regime is the nemesis of their plans for control in Iran. If a war by America and Israel is the best way to get rid of the democratically elected government then they tacitly welcome it, as it will clear the way for them, they think. This is what the Shia in Iraq though too and why they supported the war on Iraq.

I mention this because PatC states so clearly that HOPOI says 'No to imperialist war!' and 'No to any imperialist intervention'. These bleats make it sound like HOPOI is actually against a war on Iran but when you read one of the HOPOI spokespersons actual remarks in the above link you can see that they have no actual plans for opposing a war on the people they pretend to support and are only providing pro-war sensitisation.

Yassamine, when asked what HOPOI is doing to fight the looming attack on Iran says they are working, 'To spread information and knowledge about the anti-war, student, women’s and working class movement in Iran.' What?

The anti-war movement in Iran? What about the rest of the world that is actually going to carry out or support the attack. The rest of the world where HOPOI is working. What are they doing there? I can tell you, they are filling any space they can with negative stories about the Iranian Government, or 'Islamic Regime' as they call it. They are softening people with such stories. We will not feel as bad if bombs are dropped on those nasty Mullahs who threaten students and that nasty policeman in Teheran who slept with a prostitute.

HOPI And The Fight Against Imperialism

Fri Mar 14, 2008 10:47

To illustrate the position that HOPI has towards US Imperialism it is worthwhile looking at extracts from some articles. I will also supply the links to the full articles. HOPI has supporters around the world. A list of supporters is available at: http://www.hopoi.org/supporters.html

Hopi's Yassamine Mather trounces Nick Cohen in debate.

Yassamine Mather described how mass consciousness in Iran approaches the question of the regime and their country’s relationship to the world. While the peoples of Iran have no wish to be a pariah on the international scene and have a deep antipathy to the theocracy, they also do not want their country to be “humiliated - either by sanctions or air strikes”.

She recalled the disastrous history of western interventions in Iran, reminded the audience of the 1953 overthrow of Mossadeq, an event that prompted the redrawing of the political and social “map of the entire Middle East”. This event led to decades of repression for democratic and left forces and was a real contributory factor to the coming to power of the islamic regime.
http://www.hopoi.org/31jan.html

Iran: No let up in US threats
Problems facing the peoples of Iran and West Asia are rooted in the contradictions of 21st century world capitalism, says Yassamine Mather

The conflict between Iran and the USA has little to do with nuclear proliferation or the levels of uranium enrichment achieved in nuclear reactors. Less than a month after the astonishing revelations by US intelligence agencies that Iran nuclear industry “poses no threat”, the spectre of a new war haunts the region.

George Bush’s threats towards Iran less than a week after a military showdown in the Persian Gulf prove that 2008 will not herald any softening of the warmongers’ language or actions. In Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia Bush made the same claim: “Iran funds terrorist extremists, undermines stability in Lebanon, sends arms to the hard-line Taliban regime [!], intimidates its neighbours with alarming rhetoric and defies the United Nations by refusing to be open about its nuclear programme … Iran is the world’s leading state sponsor of terror.” Of course, some of these claims are factually false.
http://www.hopoi.org/17jan.html

Iran: “We condemn foreign intervention and internal despotism”.

The threat of an air attack on Iran has continued, while the US increased pressure on European and Asian banks and companies to impose sanctions. Ordinary people in Iran pay the price for the policies of the US & EU warmongers. New shortages occur every day and many workers fear that sanctions imposed on two major national banks will disrupt payment of their salaries.

The economic sanctions and threat of military action by the warmongering, US coalition pose a deadly threat to the people of Iran. The threats are used by the regime to suppress the workers’ movement and social struggles. The theocracy claim the imperialists lie behind all protests inside Iran, and depict the protesters as US agents and accusations of “acting against national security” are made against every opponent of the regime, leading to the detention of hundreds of activists.

Throughout Iran protests are planned for Student Day on December 4. The organisers have made it clear they will use the occasion to express their opposition both to “foreign intervention” and “internal despotism”. Their slogans will be: “Hands Off the People of Iran”, “No to war - the university is not an army garrison” and “We condemn foreign intervention and internal despotism”.
http://www.indymedia.ie/article/85363

I think the above should be enough to convince any honest person that HOPI are opposed to US Imperialism. Its worth noting that it is only anonymous trolls who are attacking HOPI and the Anti Imperialist Iranian Opposition.

Honesty

Fri Mar 14, 2008 11:35

Pat said:

'I think the above should be enough to convince any honest person that HOPI are opposed to US Imperialism. Its worth noting that it is only anonymous trolls who are attacking HOPI and the Anti Imperialist Iranian Opposition.'

There you have it Pat, 'any honest person'. Some of the people posting here have undeclared interests in supporting the Iranian regime.

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Dali Jeryan speaks in Finglas

Comments (7 of 7)