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I often see the discussion around the death of Zhina/Jina (Mahsa) Amini as being solely based on women's oppression. Fundamentally it was also a manifestation of genocide against the Kurdish people. Her womanhood allowed them to use her as a scapegoat by regulating her appearance and by brutalizing her, but her womanhood is not the only reason she was murdered. Obviously I am in favor of the tide of feminist action that is happening as a result of the tragedy, but I can't help but be unsettled that the ethnic tension underpinning this entire thing is more or less being ignored by mainstream media. The only people I see noting the anti-Kurdish aspects are people in the Kurdish diaspora.
I often see the discussion around the death of Zhina/Jina (Mahsa) Amini as being solely based on women's oppression. Fundamentally it was also a manifestation of genocide against the Kurdish people. Her womanhood allowed them to use her as a scapegoat by regulating her appearance and by brutalizing her, but her womanhood is not the only reason she was murdered. Obviously I am in favor of the tide of feminist action that is happening as a result of the tragedy, but I can't help but be unsettled that the ethnic tension underpinning this entire thing is more or less being ignored by mainstream media. The only people I see noting the anti-Kurdish aspects are people in the Kurdish diaspora.

6 comments

[–] Lilith 1 points

I saw it mentioned a total of one time. Things suddenly made sense. The part about her wearing hijab when she was arrested and why they were especially brutal with her in this arrest. There is also the men being just as involved. How brazen the demonstrations are, like their families all support it.

[–] Hermione 6 points

I didn’t know she was Kurdish until now. I’m glad to see so many non-Kurdish Iranian women protest her fate on her behalf.

There might have been some anti-Kurdish motivation, but this wasn’t done to a bloke and damned if I’ll accept whitewashing the situation as “ethnic tensions” by people who want us to think that there is nothing oppressive about the hijab, it’s a total choice, women WANT to wear it, there’s no coercion, Islam is actually a feminist religion when you think about it, you’re a white supremacist for being hijab skeptical, etc.
[–] littleowl12 7 points

A lot of people don't even know that she was Kurdish.

It's hard for people to understand ethnic tensions between groups when both groups are foreign to them. Most Westerners don't know the difference between Shi'a and Sunni Islam. Just like most non-Christians aren't really sure about the difference between Catholics, Protestants and Orthodox, nor how Mormonism isn't actually within Christianity.

The ethnic groups are hard, too.

But it's beautiful to see so many non-Kurdish Iranian women feel so passionately about Amini. They view her as a fellow woman and sister. They're not ignoring her death because she was Kurdish.

[–] estina 7 points

The western media doesn’t have a clue, genuinely. They’re still scratching their head over the difference between Sunni and Shi’a

[–] danaseilhan 6 points

You'd be surprised. I've been saying for a few days now that chances are very good she was targeted for being a Kurd. Particularly when I heard she'd actually been wearing hijab when the morality police approached her. But yeah, most people aren't talking about this.
[–] littleowl12 3 points

I've seen some apologists actually claim that Amini was killed because she was Kurdish; not because she was a woman or that Islam is a shit show or anything.

I'm pretty sure she was treated badly in a way a well-connected Iranian woman never would be. So in that way, she was targeted. But it is absolutely about religion, religious law, and women. A poor, destitute Iranian woman may have met the same fate, and in fact, a few have.
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