I've learnt so much and I feel enraged. Thank you for taking the time to put together this incredibly thorough and well-researched piece. I can't help but notice the predictable ways in which white imperialism operates "in order to bring White women into agreement with nationalist and imperialist projects" in your section on the "Oppressed Muslim Woman" because this is something that has been going on in France (my country) for years (I'm from a muslim community) and it drives me absolutely insane to have so-called feminists all around me so easily agree with the systemic oppression of muslims under the guise that it is "incompatible" with women's liberation. Anyways, this should be mandatory reading, I will read it again and can't wait to discuss all your sharp points with others to educate them on the never-ending shenanigans of genocidal states. We really are lucky to get your pieces of writing on this platform
mel 😭😭😭😭 thank you so much for reading and for these kind comments. i genuinely cannot imagine navigating being from a muslim community under laicete as well???? no wonder this hit and i am sending hugs your way.
This is absolutely devastating and necessary—a masterful takedown of imperial feminism disguised as liberation.
Your opening is perfect: Netanyahu wielding "Zan. Zengedi. Azadi" while bombing the very women who created that cry is such a grotesque perversion it almost defies language. But you found the language for it, and it cuts like a blade.
The way you trace the actual origins of Jin Jîyan Azadî—from Kurdish resistance rooted in revolutionary Marxism to its bastardization by a genocidal war criminal—is journalism at its finest. You've exposed how Netanyahu deliberately chose the Persian translation over the Kurdish original, erasing the very people who gave birth to this movement. That's not accidental; it's strategic colonial violence.
Your analysis of the "oppressed Muslim woman" trope is brutal and brilliant. The through-line from Laura Bush to Tomi Lahren to Netanyahu shows how this playbook never changes—just the target. They weaponize women's suffering to justify creating more of it, then call it feminism.
What hits hardest is your personal story about being invoked in the Times of Israel while you were actually doing the work—raising money for abortion access, honoring Iranian resistance, building real solidarity. Meanwhile, some woman who's never faced the morality police used your name to defend genocide. The audacity is breathtaking.
Your ending destroys me: "If Benjamin Netanyahu continues to sell his bombardment of the Iranian capital as part of Woman Life Freedom—and if people believe him—then the only person left to cry the slogan of Kurdish-Iranian resistance will be him."
This isn't just anti-war writing; it's a defense of revolutionary feminism against its colonizers. Thank you for refusing to let them steal your movement's words while they bomb your people.
oh wow mohammad: can i just put this comment at the top of the essay copy? thank you so much for picking up what i’m putting down, your sharp analysis, and your kind kind words! your final paragraph will absolutely nourish me for months: being iranian american and so physically far from the horror is what motivates me to write pieces which help connect that distance. i hope to see some pieces from you this summer: your prose is beautiful!!!!!!
You're so generous of course you can use it however serves the piece. Your writing deserves to reach everyone and if my words help amplify that message I'm honored.
Thank you for writing this Jade!!!! It’s seriously a breath of fresh air. you so seamlessly weave the connections between the layered and complex nuances of the woman life freedom movement and what’s happening in this moment. praying for protection and peace of brave Iranian women everywhere.
Thank you for writing this. As other people have mentioned in the comments I’ve learned a tremendous amount from a single article. Thank you for speaking out on this issue and speaking against the pitying of Middle Eastern women by the west.
Thank you for this. That was incredibly interesting and a different take, deeper dive than we normally see online. There is a lot of misinformation out there right now and a lot of misunderstanding of information. I'm a former intl civil servant and nonproliferation expert, and here is my take on all this: https://shalyn8.substack.com/p/why-americans-dont-need-to-panic
This is seriously so incredible. The way you thread everything together for such a strong and compelling argument is so eye-opening - I learned more from this post than any history class I've ever taken in school. This essay will stick with me for a long, long time. Thank you for writing this and for everything that you do (and have done!) for true women's liberation in the face of Western propaganda.
i am so so so glad :) so much of this information was gifted to me either by the social media aspect of woman life freedom, or through particularly studying SWANA (+especially iranian) feminisms in grad school. it took me until 26 YEARS OLD to take a dedicated class on the topic, and it took so much self study to fill in the blanks! if you’re ever curious dm me and i have sooooo many books to recommend ❤️ thank you for sharing this
I can’t even explain how good it felt to read this, I genuinely wanted to scream -mind you, I’m at work. This has been gnawing at me ever since the attacks on Iran began. I’ve seen so many people in the Iranian diaspora repeat these exact same talking points, completely buying into the idea that bombing Iran somehow equals “liberating” women. As if regime change from the outside has ever worked, especially when it's done by genocidal maniacs. It’s enraging.
Reading your breakdown felt like someone finally said it out loud, clearly and unapologetically. Thank you for writing this. If you ever explore how some Middle Eastern governments/communities are actively cheering on the bombing Iran too, I’ll be first in line to read it.
sia!!!! it felt good to write, so i’m so glad it felt the same to read! the conversations in the diaspora have similarly made me feel insane, so i’m glad to be able to bridge some distance and create some connections :) i’ll def be writing more and your idea is actually making my gears turn …. more soon mwa
I've learnt so much and I feel enraged. Thank you for taking the time to put together this incredibly thorough and well-researched piece. I can't help but notice the predictable ways in which white imperialism operates "in order to bring White women into agreement with nationalist and imperialist projects" in your section on the "Oppressed Muslim Woman" because this is something that has been going on in France (my country) for years (I'm from a muslim community) and it drives me absolutely insane to have so-called feminists all around me so easily agree with the systemic oppression of muslims under the guise that it is "incompatible" with women's liberation. Anyways, this should be mandatory reading, I will read it again and can't wait to discuss all your sharp points with others to educate them on the never-ending shenanigans of genocidal states. We really are lucky to get your pieces of writing on this platform
mel 😭😭😭😭 thank you so much for reading and for these kind comments. i genuinely cannot imagine navigating being from a muslim community under laicete as well???? no wonder this hit and i am sending hugs your way.
you are the kindest to me ❤️❤️❤️ thank u
This is absolutely devastating and necessary—a masterful takedown of imperial feminism disguised as liberation.
Your opening is perfect: Netanyahu wielding "Zan. Zengedi. Azadi" while bombing the very women who created that cry is such a grotesque perversion it almost defies language. But you found the language for it, and it cuts like a blade.
The way you trace the actual origins of Jin Jîyan Azadî—from Kurdish resistance rooted in revolutionary Marxism to its bastardization by a genocidal war criminal—is journalism at its finest. You've exposed how Netanyahu deliberately chose the Persian translation over the Kurdish original, erasing the very people who gave birth to this movement. That's not accidental; it's strategic colonial violence.
Your analysis of the "oppressed Muslim woman" trope is brutal and brilliant. The through-line from Laura Bush to Tomi Lahren to Netanyahu shows how this playbook never changes—just the target. They weaponize women's suffering to justify creating more of it, then call it feminism.
What hits hardest is your personal story about being invoked in the Times of Israel while you were actually doing the work—raising money for abortion access, honoring Iranian resistance, building real solidarity. Meanwhile, some woman who's never faced the morality police used your name to defend genocide. The audacity is breathtaking.
Your ending destroys me: "If Benjamin Netanyahu continues to sell his bombardment of the Iranian capital as part of Woman Life Freedom—and if people believe him—then the only person left to cry the slogan of Kurdish-Iranian resistance will be him."
This isn't just anti-war writing; it's a defense of revolutionary feminism against its colonizers. Thank you for refusing to let them steal your movement's words while they bomb your people.
oh wow mohammad: can i just put this comment at the top of the essay copy? thank you so much for picking up what i’m putting down, your sharp analysis, and your kind kind words! your final paragraph will absolutely nourish me for months: being iranian american and so physically far from the horror is what motivates me to write pieces which help connect that distance. i hope to see some pieces from you this summer: your prose is beautiful!!!!!!
You're so generous of course you can use it however serves the piece. Your writing deserves to reach everyone and if my words help amplify that message I'm honored.
Thank you for writing this Jade!!!! It’s seriously a breath of fresh air. you so seamlessly weave the connections between the layered and complex nuances of the woman life freedom movement and what’s happening in this moment. praying for protection and peace of brave Iranian women everywhere.
thank you for reading as always parnia ❤️ praying for the exact same & hoping for the day we can get kabob together
thrilled to find out you're iranian & to read your work <3
Thank you for writing this spectacular article!
Thank you for writing this. As other people have mentioned in the comments I’ve learned a tremendous amount from a single article. Thank you for speaking out on this issue and speaking against the pitying of Middle Eastern women by the west.
This is incredibly insightful!!!
you are a dungeon dragon!!!!!!!!!
Thank you for this. That was incredibly interesting and a different take, deeper dive than we normally see online. There is a lot of misinformation out there right now and a lot of misunderstanding of information. I'm a former intl civil servant and nonproliferation expert, and here is my take on all this: https://shalyn8.substack.com/p/why-americans-dont-need-to-panic
thank you for writing this educational article!!!
This is seriously so incredible. The way you thread everything together for such a strong and compelling argument is so eye-opening - I learned more from this post than any history class I've ever taken in school. This essay will stick with me for a long, long time. Thank you for writing this and for everything that you do (and have done!) for true women's liberation in the face of Western propaganda.
i am so so so glad :) so much of this information was gifted to me either by the social media aspect of woman life freedom, or through particularly studying SWANA (+especially iranian) feminisms in grad school. it took me until 26 YEARS OLD to take a dedicated class on the topic, and it took so much self study to fill in the blanks! if you’re ever curious dm me and i have sooooo many books to recommend ❤️ thank you for sharing this
thank you for this
thanks for reading!!
I can’t even explain how good it felt to read this, I genuinely wanted to scream -mind you, I’m at work. This has been gnawing at me ever since the attacks on Iran began. I’ve seen so many people in the Iranian diaspora repeat these exact same talking points, completely buying into the idea that bombing Iran somehow equals “liberating” women. As if regime change from the outside has ever worked, especially when it's done by genocidal maniacs. It’s enraging.
Reading your breakdown felt like someone finally said it out loud, clearly and unapologetically. Thank you for writing this. If you ever explore how some Middle Eastern governments/communities are actively cheering on the bombing Iran too, I’ll be first in line to read it.
sia!!!! it felt good to write, so i’m so glad it felt the same to read! the conversations in the diaspora have similarly made me feel insane, so i’m glad to be able to bridge some distance and create some connections :) i’ll def be writing more and your idea is actually making my gears turn …. more soon mwa
I love this! I want everyone on the planet to read it immediately
Thank you for writing such an important article.
thank you for reading!!
I enjoyed reading this as a Lebanese American woman
i am so glad nissren ❤️
Thanks for this perspective and the update on "Woman. Life. Freedom" movement!
thank you for reading!