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Woman Life Freedom Uprising Main MenuWoman, Life, FreedomIran, Islam & the InevitableContextualizing the Islamization of IranThe Making of the Modern WomanIcons & Personas of Woman Life FreedomOrigins of the UprisingFreedom through the FemaleThe Writing in the MarginsNasleh Zed's Youthful UprisingSoundtracking Woman Life FreedomUrban Canvases of the UprisingFeminist Placemaking of a Digital UprisingAfterlives of Woman, Life, FreedomWLF ResourcesHere you will find our sources all compiled in one placeNahid Siamdoust - UT Austin Iran Collab Networka897e5b6082169b816946b1032f8b3c01e62c1ee
Mahsa Jina Amini
1media/Screen Shot 2024-10-27 at 5.50.01 PM.png2024-10-02T10:24:01-07:00Asal Khers 8fe2adde84e1fbd5622a773ff45de6e34c901d404587135A Catalyst for the Woman, Life, Freedom Movement in Iranimage_header2024-12-08T14:24:44-08:00Asal Khers 8fe2adde84e1fbd5622a773ff45de6e34c901d40Mahsa Jina Amini’s death on September 16, 2022, after being detained by Iran’s morality police, caused nationwide protests that showed women’s deep-rooted frustrations with the regime’s repressive policies. Her arrest for “violating” the strict hijab code sparked a powerful movement, uniting people across different ethnicities and class statuses under the powerful slogan “Woman, Life, Freedom.”
Below, I have a translation of the background story along with a spoken clip of Mahsa's mother. You can listen to it here: Radio Farda 1:57-3:18.
On the evening of September 13th, an ordinary Tuesday like any other Tuesday, a young woman, along with her brother and cousin, got off the metro. She was just like many other ordinary girls. The Haghani Metro Station, near places like the forest-like Taleghani Park, the Tabiat Bridge, the Book Garden, Ab-o-Atash Park, the National Library of Iran, and Vanak Square, are all locations where people often explore, creating new memories. She, too, was exploring and making new memories. But she became a memory in the minds of others, and after that Tuesday, normal days no longer existed—neither for her family nor for the people of Iran.
Let’s hear from her mother, just one hour before Mahsa Jina Amini passed away in Kasra Hospital in Tehran:
“A day ago, we were in Shomal, ma'am. Just a day ago. I have her picture. She was the healthiest of the healthy. She was cheerful and happy. On the way back, her father suggested we stop in Tehran to visit Jina’s aunt. We came here because it was nearby. Jina was perfectly healthy.”
Mahsa Amini was not the first victim of Iran's strict morality police, as countless women have suffered persecution. However, her death has sparked a significant uprising, awakening a collective consciousness among Iranians. They have realized that there is no turning back. “Her face has lit up a billboard in Times Square, and been painted on murals in Paris and Berlin. Vienna and Los Angeles have even named streets after her” (Fassihi, 2023). Mahsa represents a new generation of Iran, one in which women are no longer harassed for their hijabs and parents are not banned from attending their own daughters' commemorations (Fassihi, 2023).
Mahsa Amini’s Kurdish name, Jina, has become a powerful symbol of the Iranian uprising. Meaning "life" in Kurdish, Jina has a very deep significance in the context of the protests. The slogan "Jin, Jian, Azadi," from the Kurdish liberation movement, translated to "Women, Life, Freedom", echoes her name, with “life” at the center (Siamdoust, 2022). This movement honors Mahsa's name as it fights to reclaim women's personal freedoms.
The protests have been building for a long time, as women are tired of being humiliated and targeted just for trying to live their daily lives. In 2006 alone, 1.3 million women were stopped and cited for wearing “loose headscarves” (Bayat, 2022). The killing of Mahsa Amini, one of these women, “has given rise to an extraordinary political uprising in which women and their dignity, indeed human dignity at large, have gained a prominent place” (Bayat, 2022). Because of this movement, the protests are no longer just about Iranian women but also about global feminism. This solidarity has added pressure on the Iranian regime, which is causing a violent response. In the four months after Mahsa’s killing, the Islamic Republic used unnecessary force, such as metal pellets, birdshot, and ammunition against protesters. There has even been the regular use of the death penalty and sexual exploitation (Bolourchi, Page 729). The government’s excessive use of force shows not only its fear of losing control but also the global significance that the movement has gained.
What began with the death of one woman has evolved into a powerful symbol of resistance against oppression worldwide. Mahsa Jina Amini's death triggered a movement that has grown beyond Iran, highlighting the fight for women's dignity. As we mark the second anniversary of her death, people from diverse backgrounds have come together to show the impact that collective resistance can have.
12024-09-29T16:22:01-07:00Nahid Siamdoust - UT Austin Iran Collab Networka897e5b6082169b816946b1032f8b3c01e62c1eePersonas/Icons of Woman, Life, FreedomAsal Khers 4You can add your contribution here or create your own text, we'll collate themplain2024-10-02T10:25:23-07:00Asal Khers 8fe2adde84e1fbd5622a773ff45de6e34c901d40
12024-12-04T05:07:56-08:00Nahid Siamdoust - UT Austin Iran Collab Networka897e5b6082169b816946b1032f8b3c01e62c1eeIcons & Personas of Woman Life FreedomHatcher Stanford6visual_path2024-12-08T17:50:12-08:00Hatcher Stanfordf03c763a99bfcb6c17d2215a2cf35f70ee661993
1media/DYF Kurds flags.jpg2024-10-27T19:23:18-07:00Hatcher Stanfordf03c763a99bfcb6c17d2215a2cf35f70ee661993Don't You Forget About Me23Omission of Kurdish participation in Women Life Freedomimage_header2024-12-06T09:43:10-08:00Hatcher Stanfordf03c763a99bfcb6c17d2215a2cf35f70ee661993
1media/1024px-Jin_Jiyan_Azadi_by_Btoy,_Schwendergasse,_Vienna.jpgmedia/1024px-Jin_Jiyan_Azadi_by_Btoy,_Schwendergasse,_Vienna.jpg2024-10-30T09:04:41-07:00Maryam Ahmed0a0bac97b4f545b0078f67cd1ce8dbe449b63efdLost in Translation13The forgotten role of the Kurdish movement in the beginnings of Woman Life Freedomimage_header2024-12-08T20:05:49-08:00Maryam Ahmed0a0bac97b4f545b0078f67cd1ce8dbe449b63efd
1media/Screenshot 2024-12-04 at 1.12.01 PM.jpeg2024-12-02T09:36:32-08:00Maryam Ahmed0a0bac97b4f545b0078f67cd1ce8dbe449b63efdWhen the Dust Settles9How the Woman Life Freedom movement altered Iranian society, 2 years after the killing of Mahsa Jina Aminiimage_header2024-12-08T20:15:20-08:00Maryam Ahmed0a0bac97b4f545b0078f67cd1ce8dbe449b63efd
1media/03990000-0aff-0242-2a13-08daaa26c245_w1080_h608_s.jpg2024-10-30T05:28:55-07:00Nekhat Sadeq7f57034f8fbf8b9c394f1a58a30951c2d763b0ffKurds and Jin, Jian, Azadi2An Overview of Kurdish Minority Within the Region and a History of Jin, Jian, Azadi Movement - A Transnational Struggle to Freedomimage_header2024-12-09T03:49:45-08:00Nekhat Sadeq7f57034f8fbf8b9c394f1a58a30951c2d763b0ff
This page references:
1media/Screen Shot 2024-12-01 at 8.03.35 PM_thumb.png2024-12-01T18:08:23-08:00#SAYHERNAME1Protests against the death of Jina at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlinmedia/Screen Shot 2024-12-01 at 8.03.35 PM.pngplain2024-12-01T18:08:23-08:00
1media/Screen Shot 2024-12-01 at 8.17.21 PM_thumb.png2024-12-01T18:20:55-08:00Motorcycle1Police motorcycle set on fire during protest over the death of Mahsa Aminimedia/Screen Shot 2024-12-01 at 8.17.21 PM.pngplain2024-12-01T18:20:55-08:00
1media/Screen Shot 2024-12-01 at 8.37.41 PM_thumb.png2024-12-01T18:42:06-08:00Parents of Mahsa Amini in Kasra Hospital1On 16 September Niloofar Hamedi a reporter who works for newspaper "Shargh" gained access to Kasra hospital where Mahsa Amini was being treated. Hamedi tweeted a photo of Amini's parents crying in the hospital which she was later arrested formedia/Screen Shot 2024-12-01 at 8.37.41 PM.pngplain2024-12-01T18:42:06-08:00
1media/Screen Shot 2024-12-01 at 8.49.51 PM_thumb.png2024-12-01T18:56:17-08:00Mahsa unconscious in a hospital bed1Viral image showing Mahsa in a coma in Kasra Hospital, Tehranmedia/Screen Shot 2024-12-01 at 8.49.51 PM.pngplain2024-12-01T18:56:18-08:00
1media/Screen Shot 2024-12-01 at 8.00.42 PM_thumb.png2024-12-01T18:05:36-08:00Jina's face being displayed in New York’s Times Square1Soodabeh Saeidnia, via Reuters: Mahsa's portrait symbolizing the struggle for women's rights, justice, and freedom.media/Screen Shot 2024-12-01 at 8.00.42 PM.pngplain2024-12-01T18:05:36-08:00