The nationwide protests in Iran have nothing to do with the FEMEN
It was anticipated that Niloufar Fooladi’s radical move would easily provide the excuse the power structure was waiting for; that yes, this is what they want from freedom. Now, they are republishing a video of Hassan Abbasi, claiming he predicted years ago the future of the women’s revolution envisioned by reformists.
Nudity as a symbol, not a demand
Was Niloufar Fooladi’s action in line with supporting the protest movement of the Iranian people or undermining it? Was there personal and individual benefit behind her protest action, or a belief in freedom? Does the current protest movement of the Iranian people have any relation to the limited and marginal FEMEN movement? FEMEN was originally a Ukrainian feminist group that saw their goals as fighting against all three aspects of patriarchy and male dominance: the instrumental and sexual use of women, dictatorship, and religion. Members of this group would undress, either partially or completely, during demonstrations. However, the FEMEN movement did not gain acceptance or widespread popularity even among feminist circles, and there is generally no optimistic view towards their model of protest and demands.
Nudity is seen either in FEMEN protests, which remain a very small minority in the West, or sporadically in some other protest movements as a symbol. For example, if cyclists in Mexico City come out naked on a particular day, it is used as a symbol or sign against the widespread culture of car use, road insecurity, and environmental harm, not as a demand to be naked every day on the street or at work.
Reactions are all negative
Pages that published images or videos of Niloufar Fooladi on social media not only did not receive positive feedback from audiences in solidarity with this model of protest, but also faced a wave of protest, criticism, and even insults directed at the initiator of this action. Most believe that what Niloufar Fooladi did trivializes the protests of the Iranian people; that the action of one individual should not be attributed to the demands of hundreds of thousands.
The people’s demand and understanding of freedom of dress is not nudity. Such an action can push protesters, especially families, and particularly religious families inside Iran, into a defensive or conservative stance. The only benefit of Niloufar Fooladi’s action was that it played into the hands of critics of the people’s protest movement, and now the power structure will make the most of it to incite and suppress the protests of the Iranian people.
A social media user wrote that Niloufar Fooladi’s nudity is like someone burning the Quran in Tehran. Does such an action help the struggle of the Iranian people or does it lead to the exploitation by the Islamic Republic and the alienation of a segment of society? I think if she had distributed a couple of flyers, it would have been a more positive action.
Another user compared the protest and the people’s reaction to figures like Mohsen Namjoo and Mahnaz Afshar, writing that the opposition abroad feels as obligated to confront Mahnaz Afshar as it likely does not feel obligated to confront Niloufar Fooladi. It would be more fitting for those abroad to respond to this action, which directly negatively impacts the internal situation.
Another user went further, writing that Niloufar Fooladi is either naive or an agent. In a situation where many independent religious families are being told by the regime that they are going to lose their hijab and are hesitant and worried, why would this woman do such a thing?
Another user wrote that Ms. Niloufar Fooladi, this lightweight and fantastical act of breast display only showed your own level of concern and lowered our demands to the size of your small brain. Many like you are seeking a hat from this felt.
Another user wrote, imagine going to the street, getting shot and killed, and then Niloufar Fooladi’s action intensifies the suppression and reduces the number of protesters, ultimately wasting your blood in this life.
There’s something fishy going on
Another user who witnessed the Berlin conference and the famous incident of the naked man and woman, after a detailed account of the event, wrote: that night I was part of a group that went to Abbaszadeh’s and the late Farzaneh’s house to analyze what had happened. The late Fariborz Raisdana was also there. Raisdana’s analysis was that this act of undressing was either directly or indirectly the work of the Ministry of Intelligence and would lead to heavy case-building.
This user continued, noting that Raisdana had said that you should clearly state that firstly, this act is condemned, and secondly, it was the work of the Ministry of Intelligence. He wrote that contrary to Raisdana’s analysis, the prevailing mood among us did not take the incident seriously, and even two of our influential friends went so far as to mock Raisdana’s analysis, attributing it to his drinking. It didn’t take long before the mass shutdown of newspapers, arrests, and the display of the naked woman on the Islamic Republic’s television occurred.
Similar analyses have been put forward by some other social media users, suggesting that there is a possibility that this move was orchestrated to provoke the protest demands of the Iranian people.
However, many users believe that Niloufar Fooladi’s action was more about personal gain and completing her asylum case. That is, she used a collective action as an excuse for her personal benefit. According to media reports, when she was in Turkey, her asylum request was rejected. One user wrote, she put a scarf on a stick but wasn’t arrested, she became a model but it didn’t work, she went to Turkey and said she was a political prisoner but had no evidence, she was about to be deported from Turkey when Mahsa died, and now by getting naked, she obtained asylum in the Netherlands.
Iran Gate has specifically covered the nationwide protests in Iran. On the main page of the site, there is a special section related to the nationwide protests in Iran from the perspective of the camera, which can be viewed multimedia. Also, articles have been published that can be viewed by searching for the code name Mahsa Amini.
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