On October 11th, 2022 at 3:00pm, Oxford University students and members of the broader Oxford community gathered at Bonn Square to protest the death of Mahsa (Zhina) Amini. Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish woman, died while in custody of the Iranian morality police. Her death has ignited protests not only across Iran, but around the world.
The protest got off to a slightly rocky start as members of the Iranian community and University students disagreed over the use of flags. Some members of the Oxford student body at the protest felt that because it was a human rights centered event, political flags were not conducive to a peaceful protest. There were concerns of anonymity, as many students did not want to be photographed with the Iranian flag used prior to the Islamic Revolution. An Oxford student who wished to remain anonymous noted that it was important to focus on women’s rights during the gathering. They also understood the confusion regarding flags, as it was unclear exactly who the organisers of the event were. However, many members of the community felt that it is impossible to separate human rights and politics in this case. A member of the broader community who wished to remain anonymous felt that not allowing people to hold politically focused flags was inherently illogical. They believed that fighting for freedom in Iran, and simultaneously human rights, is political in nature.
“Say her name!” the crowd chanted, “Mahsa. Zhina. Amini!” More and more people gathered to hear and ask questions about the issue and the protesters were more than happy to answer their questions and tell their stories. Sepideh told me her story about going to school in Iran, and the mandatory studying of the Qur’an. She emphasized the need for women to have choice and told her story with much passion and conviction.
In a similar tone, a Kurdish woman named Dana highlighted the erasure of Amini’s Kurdish background. Many individuals outside the Iranian community aren’t aware that Amini was Kurdish. Dana felt that it is important to uplift minority groups within Iran. “This change needs to be a renaissance,” she explained. She also noted that for this change to be productive, all groups in Iran need to be included. Dana wanted to call attention to the idea that embracing all minority groups in Iran is necessary to produce effective change.
Among the Iranian community, there has been significant talk around the former Shah Pahlavi, and wanting the return of the royal family. Another member of the community who wished to remain anonymous felt that it was important to say that the former Shah was not without his flaws. After all, it was many of his actions that led to the initial Islamic revolution in the first place. However, this person felt that whatever the case, the number one priority was restoring democracy to Iran.
Following Amini’s death, many other women have been reportedly killed by the Iranian morality police, including Sarina Esmailzadeh and Nika Shakarami. Niloufar Hamedi, the Tehran based journalist who initially broke the news about Amini, currently remains in the custody of Iranian authorities.
As the protest drew to a close one of the primary speakers stressed, “Mahsa was killed by the morality police, but there is nothing moral about what happened to her.”
Image credit: Author
