The nationwide protests in Iran have nothing to do with the FEMEN movement.
The nationwide protests in Iran have nothing to do with the FEMEN movement. It was anticipated that Niloufar Fouladi’s radical move would easily provide the excuse the power structure was waiting for, saying yes, this is what they want from freedom. Now they are republishing a video of Hassan Abbasi, who they claim predicted years ago the future of the women’s revolution envisioned by reformists.
Nudity as a symbol, not a demand.
Was Niloufar Fouladi’s move in line with supporting the protest movement of the Iranian people, or was it destructive? Was there personal and individual benefit behind her protest move, 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 aimed to fight against all three aspects of patriarchy and male dominance: the instrumental and sexual use of women, dictatorship, and religion. Members of this group would strip naked or semi-naked during demonstrations. However, the FEMEN movement did not gain acceptance or widespread support even among feminist movements, and generally, there is no optimistic view towards their model of protest and demands.
Nudity is either seen 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 on a particular day cyclists in Mexico City go out naked, it is used as a symbol or sign against the widespread culture of car usage, road insecurity, and environmental damage, not as a demand to be naked on the streets or at work every day.
All reactions are negative.
Pages on social media that published images or videos of Niloufar Fouladi have not only not received good feedback from audiences in terms of solidarity and support for this type of protest, but have also faced a wave of protest, criticism, and even insults directed at the instigator of this move. Most believe that what Niloufar Fouladi did trivializes the Iranian people’s protest, and that the actions 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 a move can push protesters, especially families and particularly religious families inside Iran, into a defensive or conservative stance. Niloufar Fouladi’s move only served to pour water on the mill of critics of the Iranian people’s protest, and now the power structure will make the most of it to incite and suppress the Iranian people’s protests.
A social media user wrote that Niloufar Fouladi’s nudity is like someone burning the Quran in Tehran. Does such an act help the Iranian people’s struggle, or does it lead to the Islamic Republic’s exploitation and the alienation of a segment of society? I think if she had distributed a couple of leaflets, it would have been a more positive move.
Another user compared the protest and people’s reaction to figures like Mohsen Namjoo and Mahnaz Afshar, writing that the opposition abroad feels obligated to confront Mahnaz Afshar, but probably doesn’t feel the same obligation to confront Niloufar Fouladi. It would be more appropriate for those abroad to respond to this move, which directly negatively impacts the internal situation.
Another user went further, writing that Niloufar Fouladi is either naive or a ‘parastoo’ (a term used for individuals who are allegedly used by intelligence services). In a situation where many independent religious families are being fed the idea that these people are going to remove your hijab and are hesitant and worried, why would this woman do such a thing?
Another user wrote that Ms. Niloufar Fouladi’s light and fanciful act of breast exposure only showed your own concerns and lowered our demands to the level of your small mind. Many are like you, seeking personal gain.
Another user wrote, imagine you go to the street, get shot, and killed, then Niloufar Fouladi’s move intensifies the suppression and reduces the number of protesters, ultimately rendering your sacrifice in vain.
Something fishy is going on.
Another user who witnessed the Berlin conference and the famous incident of the naked man and woman writes that night I was part of a group that went to Abbaszadeh’s house and the late Farzaneh. We were supposed to analyze what happened. The late Fariborz Rais-Dana was also there. Rais-Dana’s analysis was that this act of stripping was either directly or indirectly the work of the Ministry of Intelligence and would lead to heavy dossiers.
This user continues by mentioning that Rais-Dana said you should clearly state that firstly, this act is condemned, and secondly, it was the work of the Ministry of Intelligence. He writes that in contrast to Rais-Dana’s analysis, the dominant spirit in our group did not take the incident seriously, and even two of our influential friends went as far as mocking Rais-Dana’s analysis, attributing it to his drinking. It didn’t take more than a few days for mass newspaper closures, arrests, and the display of the naked woman on the Islamic Republic’s television networks to occur.
Similar analyses have been proposed by some other social media users, suggesting that this move might have been planned to provoke the Iranian people’s protest demands.
However, many users believe that Niloufar Fouladi’s move 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 that she put a scarf on a stick but wasn’t arrested, became a model but it didn’t work, went to Turkey, and whatever she said about being a political prisoner, she had no evidence. She was about to be deported from Turkey when Mahsa died. Now, by stripping naked, she got asylum in the Netherlands.
Iran Gate has paid special attention to the nationwide protests in Iran. On the main page of the site, a special section related to the nationwide protests in Iran is available from the camera’s view, which you can view in multimedia format. Additionally, articles have been published that you can view by searching for the code name Mahsa Amini.
- From Maryam Rajavi to Masih Alinejad, no appropriation allowed.
- How not to get arrested during protests.
