On Wednesday 5th October, students at Oxford High School held a vigil in memory of Masha Jina Amini and solidarity with the people of Iran. The vigil was organised by one of our Sixth Form students, Lara. This is what she had to say…
By now, nearly everyone knows the name Masha Jina Amini; it verges on synonymous with what seems to be the eternal fight for universal self-autonomy.
Beginning in September, following Jina’s death (Jina was her Kurdish name, banned by the regime), protests erupted across Iran. Now, a regime that has been in power for 43 years, is being dismantled by the force for freedom the people of Iran have proved themselves to be.
However, alongside this moment of hope in our history, damaging assumptions have been made.
Watching this revolution unfold from afar, I realised that so many see this as an issue confined to a singular country. We read the news and are relieved that we will never face such oppression by our own government. I think of my family back in Iran, my cousins that I hope are fighting, but then again, dread are. I cannot picture myself taking to the streets and being bombarded by bullets like them because, unlike them, I have my rights, and they seem, at first glance, to not be under threat.
We forget that what is fundamentally the right to choose will never be bound by binaries and borders of geography. While people fight in Iran for their right to not wear a Hijab, in France, people fight to be able to wear all forms of Islamic religious dress, and in the US, people fight for the right to have an abortion.
In late September I, and other pupils, held a small vigil for Jina and all those killed in the protests in Iran. We made and distributed flyers and information posters, lit candles and left flowers.
We wanted to show our solidarity with Iranians, even if it was in an understated, personal way.
A vigil suggests an end to a journey, a reflection on what has happened and has now come to a close. But, as you read this, the police continue to use live ammunition in retaliation, and mothers, fathers and children are killed and arrested.
However, unlike many other humanitarian crises, what you as an individual can do for the people of Iran, is simple.
What Iranians need from us is to amplify their voices. Whether you talk about the protests to your family or re-post Iranian influencer’s posts on social media platforms, it all helps. The fight is not yet over, but it is too close to being forgotten.
