Let's
build an international secular movement!
The Civilized world needs it
(Dusseldorf Speech) Azar Majedi
azarmajedi@yahoo.com
April 5, 2020
I am very pleased to be part of this movement. Coming from the Middle
East, living under the Islamic Republic in Iran, one of the most
brutal regimes of the 21th century, I feel very passionate about
the aims of this movement. As a first hand victim of political Islam,
as a woman who has lived under the rule of Islam, I have experienced
first hand the brutalism and suppression of an Islamic regime and
political Islam. As a left activist fighting for freedom and equality
I experienced this brutal regime and this reactionary political
force, loosing many friends and comrades.
I have devoted
my life to fight for a better world, a free and egalitarian society,
where there exists unconditional freedom of expression and criticism,
unconditional freedom for women and equality among all human beings,
regardless of their gender, nationality, ethnicity, race, religion
or beliefs.
Religion is
not only an oppressive institution, suppressing freedom of thought,
speech and criticism and oppressing women. It is also the machinery
for terrorizing societies. In the history of mankind, more people
have died under the name of the God, than any other ideology or
cause. In fact religion is a mafia-liken institution.
As it regards
women, all religions are very oppressive and Islam particularly
is well-known for its oppressive nature towards women.
The main enemy
of women's liberation movement in Iran and the Middle East is political
Islam and we must fight it, push it back and create a secular society
as a precondition for materializing women's liberation. Religion
must be a private matter. We have to push the institution of religion
to the margins of society, curtail its role and influence in society.
This is a precondition for creating a free society.
Political Islam
as a reactionary global force resorts to intimidation and terrorism
to gain power. Depriving, degrading and humiliating women are enshrined
in its ideology. The veil is its political banner and gender apartheid
a pillar of its movement. We have to fight against it.
As the world
is increasingly becoming a global entity, we need more than ever
to build an international movement. We need to build a movement
around humanitarian and egalitarian values and goals. It is not
enough to safeguard Europe from religious institutions and political
Islam. As a matter of fact it is no longer possible. We need to
reach the whole world. Our fight must be on an international scale.
The two greatest
evils in today's world are the two poles of terrorism: state terrorism,
led by the USA, and Islamist terrorism. We must fight against both.
They reinforce each other. Look at Iraq, Palestine, Lebanon, as
well as September 11th, and Madrid, and London. We need to raise
the banner against both and come together as the voice of the civilized
world.
As president
of the Organisation for Women's Liberation, I like to call upon
you all to support our struggle for achieving women's equality and
liberation in Iran. To do this we need to fight against the Islamic
Republic and political Islam. Realising women's liberation in Iran
will open the window to freedom for women in the whole Middle East
and countries under the rule of Islam. The women's liberation movement
is one of the main pillars of the movement against political Islam
and for a free, egalitarian and secular world. If we topple the
Islamic Republic in Iran, political Islam will be marginalized internationally.
I ask for your
support and solidarity. Join us in our fight against Islamic Republic,
against political Islam and for women's equality. We are building
an international movement against gender apartheid, like the movement
against racial apartheid in South Africa in the 1980s. Join this
movement to recognize gender apartheid as an inhuman and reactionary
system as racial apartheid was recognized. We should dismantle gender
apartheid in the world as we once dismantled racial apartheid in
South Africa.
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