Celebrating the 100th anniversary of women's day in Sweden

Iranian, Iraqi, Swedish and other women - and supportive men - have gathered in Stockholm to create tighter bonds of solidarity here in Sweden and with colleagues in the Middle East and elsewhere. And to launch a special appeal to help mark the 100th anniversary of the global March 8th Women's Day. Radio Sweden's Bill Schiller reports:

Iranian immigrant women living in Sweden are performing on a Stockholm stage, a drama illustrating how young Iranian female university students in Tehran are harassed by uneducated, fanatically religious moral-watchdog women -- accusing the students of possessing such dangerous weapons as mobile telephones or boy friends -- and plotting against the mullahs and the regime.

A drama also including large photos screened on stage of defiant, protesting university women beaten in public, faces bloodied, removed in police cars from the scene. Other measures of what's called sexual apartheid for women in some areas of the world - barriers to social life, to employment, to education.

Interrogation on the streets and detention for improper clothing not fully covering the woman's head or hair, violence and even murder for those women defying the man's world or strict regulations and rules for female family members. Bodies dumped on the streets of the big cities and smaller towns. Seen as a strong force in supporting the sexual apartheid oppressing women: religious fundamentalists of all faiths.

Mahin Alipour: My name is Mahin Alipour and I am responsible for the organization "Equal Rights Now" and a small organization in Sweden that is called "One Company for the Difference of Women's Rights". We want to show the people today that there is one very radical and modern women's movement in Iran that fights sexual apartheid in Iran. Because after the 30 years that they (i.e. the Mullahs) were in power in Iran, we must do something. We think that the governments here in Europe or elsewhere do not bother. They often meet Iranian representatives and they do some kind of business or politics with them. That is wrong because that regime is responsible and the representative of sexual apartheid in Iran.

A special declaration for women's day - what does it say?

Mahin Alipour: This declaration is special because of the 100th anniversary of women's day. It presses the governments that accept the Iranian regime to stop all political business. We want everyone to sign that declaration. Then we gather the lists and go to the United Nations or European Union and discuss the issue. They must do something.

Anki Elken: "My name is Anki Elken and I am an alternate in the Swedish parliament for the Center Party. I believe it is very important that we show good examples and don't trade to the extent as of today with those countries that are dictatorships. So, I think you can't condemn activities breaking human rights and on the other hand make business deals and take pictures with smiling dictators."

Earlier some women were a bit afraid of working together with immigrants and refugees.

Mahin Alipour: Yes, in the beginning, when we wanted to speak about our rights and our problems, they didn't want to listen and said *that is your problem. But they listen now. And I think the solidarity is very, very good. We have hope to gather such solidarity between the people.

Listen to the report:

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