How do Iranians, exiled Iranians or people with Iranian roots living in the West observe the protests in Iran? We are collecting voices with a questionnaire. This time: the Tehran-born mayor of Frankfurt, Dr. Nargess Eskandari-Grünberg (The Greens).
The protests in Iran have been going on for weeks. With what feelings or thoughts are you currently observing them?
Eskandari-Grünberg: I am sad and angry. Sad about the death of a young woman who is imprisoned simply because her headscarf was loose. And then dies in custody. Angry because women's rights are constantly violated in Iran and this systematic oppression has also been intensified in recent years. When women's rights are violated, human rights are violated, and then there can be no democracy. But I also have hope because so many are now rebelling against the conditions. They are concerned about universal rights. There are women who say: You can imprison us, you can beat us, but we will not give up.
Do you have direct contact with the population in Iran? If yes: What do you hear or read there?
Eskandari-Grünberg: I perceive that the protest movement is not slowing down. Unlike early protest movements, the media is using it as a powerful weapon. Information spreads like wildfire. And the regime knows that this weapon is very powerful because the world can see what is happening.
How do you assess the current situation? In which phase are the protests?
Eskandari-Grünberg: International solidarity is helping the protesters in Iran. I am glad that representatives of all democratic parties support this. I would like to see even more interference from the political side. Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has already called for sanctions against the regime in Iran, and Chancellor Scholz has also spoken out clearly - albeit belatedly. All of this puts pressure on the regime and motivates the movement.
Unlike many other major protests and revolutions, this one stems from the uprising of women. What makes the feminist revolution so special?
Eskandari-Grünberg: It's mainly the images that are being noticed around the world. On several videos on the net, Iranian women are cutting off their hair, and women in other countries are also following this example out of solidarity. That is a very powerful image. The women are saying with it: If my hair is an unwanted attraction, then I'd rather do without it, cut it off. But they don't want to bend and wear the headscarf. There have even been men who have shaved off their hair in solidarity, others who wear headscarves. They are turning the tables: these pictures, I am sure, will go down in history.
In this country - in Germany as well as other Western countries - the issue is overshadowed in the media by other topics such as the war in Ukraine. What needs to happen to change this?
Eskandari-Grünberg: I would like to see the media not slacken in their reporting. The perception of the issue must not be allowed to diminish. Only then is there a chance that democracy in Iran can triumph.
What is your forecast: In which direction will Iran or the uprising develop in the coming months?
Eskandari-Grünberg: I am convinced that justice and humanity are stronger than totalitarian regimes. Who would have thought that the GDR, that National Socialism would come to an end? If solidarity is strong enough, the regime in Iran will also end. I don't know when, but I know it will happen.
Dr. Nargess Eskandari-Grünberg
born 20.02.1965 in Tehran (Iran)
University degree Diplom-Psychologin; Doctorate Dr. phil.
Professional qualification as psychological psychotherapist
Psychological activity at the German Red Cross (DRK)
Psychotherapist in private practice
2001 - 2008 City councilor
since 24.04.2008 Member of the City Council
01.08.2008 - 14.07.2016 Head of Department for Integration
since 09.09.2021 Mayor and Head of Department for Diversity, Antidiscrimination and Social Cohesion