Maryam Rajavi by Yalda Roshan

My name is Yalda. I am a woman from the Iranian resistance who, for many years, has fought for women’s equality and worked to amplify the voices of Iranian women around the world. Today, I want to share with you the source of inspiration and motivation that has guided my path.

Covering every aspect of Maryam Rajavi’s life and thought in one article is a challenge, so today I will focus only on what has personally influenced me: her perspective on women.

She herself is a woman who has spent decades fighting against two dictatorships—the Shah’s and the misogynistic clerical regime—and believes that women can change the world. A brief overview of her biography: she was born on December 4, 1953, in Tehran and is a metallurgical engineer from Sharif University of Technology in Tehran. From her teenage years, she embarked on the path of struggle, learning from action rather than words.

She was among the student movement leaders affiliated with the Mojahedin¹ against the Shah (1973–1978), then became one of the organizers of social protests against oppression and misogyny at the beginning of the clerical rule (1979–1981) and was a parliamentary candidate in 1979 but was removed by the clerics due to widespread electoral fraud. She served as the First Secretary of the Mojahedin Organization (1985–1993) and has been the elected President of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, the parliament-in-exile, since 1993.

However, what impressed me more than any title or position was her view of women and her struggle for equality and against gender oppression. Her speech at the Earls Court in London on June 21, 1996, was particularly illuminating and became a guiding light for my own fight against misogyny. In that speech, she declared: “Today’s oppressed are tomorrow’s victors, and their voices will echo forever.” She then addressed gender oppression as the most enduring form of injustice in history and, using examples of women’s resistance in Iran, offered guidance for women striving for equality and for all freedom-loving people.

She believes that women are the first oppressed in history. Their voices have always been ignored, drowned out by the clanging of chains and the lash of whips. Even in the great tragedies of slavery, there was no space for their cries.

Maryam Rajavi rose against the historical gender oppression, especially under the rule of Iran’s clerics—a regime that considers women eternal slaves and denies their human identity. A regime that holds nine-year-old girls legally accountable while allowing them to be forcibly married from age 13. Women are beaten and imprisoned simply for showing a few strands of hair; female employees, teachers, and workers are dismissed because they are women; young women face torture and rape on the eve of execution.

Against such a monstrous system—one that is not only an enemy of the Iranian people but a foe of humanity—she led the Iranian women’s resistance, elevating women to leadership roles within the resistance and unleashing extraordinary energy for the fight against the misogynistic clerical regime.

Maryam Rajavi asserts that without women’s participation in political power, leadership, and key social and economic decision-making, talking about gender equality is meaningless. She stood up against a monster that has arisen from the depths of centuries, whose survival depends on misogyny and gender apartheid—a monster that is not only an enemy of the Iranian people but has declared war on humanity.

According to her, to overthrow a system of gender-based discrimination and fundamentally transform policies, women must temporarily assume political hegemony. The goal of women’s hegemony is to ensure equality and eradicate gender oppression, not to replace patriarchy with matriarchy. Liberating women’s potential can break the deadlocks of today’s human society and establish a new system of human relations.

This is why, under her leadership in the Iranian resistance, women have held key and leadership roles for years. But reaching this point was not easy; she said, “Sometimes I would ask myself, what must women do for others to believe in them?”

Patriarchal thinking is deeply rooted in social culture, and even the heroism of women and the blood of tens of thousands of women who lost their lives were not enough to gain acceptance for equality. Confronting the ruling misogyny requires cleansing oneself of that mindset and believing in women’s competence to lead society. By assuming tremendous responsibilities in the Iranian resistance, she demonstrated that women could break the chains of historical humiliation and oppression within themselves, believe in themselves, and inspire men not to doubt the competence of women who fight alongside them for freedom in every arena.

She spent years first changing this belief among women within the resistance. That is why, when she was elected the President of the resistance, one of the proposals she introduced concerned women’s rights in a free Iran, recognized in the National Council of Resistance of Iran’s plans:

• Women’s social, political, cultural, and economic rights will be equal to men’s.
• Women will have the right to political and social activity, freedom of movement, and travel without permission.
• Women’s organizations will be recognized and supported.
• Special measures will be taken to eliminate inequality and double oppression against women.
• Women will have the right to choose their careers, hold any position, participate in elections, and engage in artistic and sporting activities.
• Discrimination in employment will end; equal pay for equal work and equal access to insurance and benefits will be guaranteed.
• Freedom of dress, choice of spouse, marriage, divorce, and equal rights in inheritance, guardianship, and child custody will be ensured.
• Sexual exploitation and underage marriage will be prohibited, and polygamy will be abolished.
• Widows, divorcees, and their dependent children will be supported by the social security system.

In that same profoundly inspiring speech, she addressed women: “My sisters, all the women who bore the weight of history’s suffering before you, and all women and men of future centuries, are watching you today. Step into the arena and assume this historic role. You will lead our history into a golden era of equality, peace, democracy, and development.

Footnote 1: The People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran is a democratic organization founded in 1965, and for about 60 years it has been fighting against both the monarchical dictatorship and the religious dictatorship in Iran. Most of those who have been executed by the Iranian regime have been members of this organization, and most recently six more political prisoners were executed. This organization is a key member of the National Council of Resistance of Iran. Since 1989, it has been led by women, which is considered an indicator of democracy in any organization and society.

Brought to you by the The NCRI Women’s Committee.