 force or not force the Any religious symbol has always been a big controversial and problematic system for me. I just want your opinion on that It's a good question But I really want you when you go to any Muslim community and they are talking about you know Condemned in Borkini ban or travel ban You also ask them if they condemn compulsory hijab as well because it's really important to get both sides My mom wears hijab my sister wears hijab. I am not against them I am against compulsory hijab and I am all for choice But this is really important to make it clear that in the West now hijab became trendy and when we talk about compulsory hijab We always keep you know hearing. Shh. It's not the right time You know, I grew up in a Society always hearing because of the war because of the sanction because of the revolution because your proof think about money and bread It's not important. And now here in the West. I always hear that, you know If you talk about compulsory hijab because of you know, Donald Trump is around Islamophobia, so they might take advantage and I always say that if you are a true Muslim Then you have to join me and millions of Iranian women and condemn anything which is happening in the name of Islam in my Muslim Country, you know, and and all the sharia laws are against us from the age of seven And here in the West I never never hear none of these, you know People were condemning Borkini ban condemning travel ban saying a single word against compulsory hijab because they care about Islamophobia But I strongly believe We are not the one causing Islamophobia The sharia laws is not the Republic of Iran all the restrictive laws Causing Islamophobia and if you are a true Muslim who believe in freedom of choice, you cannot just keep silent I said that in European Parliament in the eyes of those MPs who went to Iran wore the hijab Which was really trendy and cute for them and then they invited me to condemn Borkini ban I said how come this is this is calling. This is called hypocrisy This is called double standard. You go there you obey the law which is violating against millions of Iranian women And now you're saying that, you know, I'm against Borkini ban I know I'm talking to you, but I have to say that as well. There were there were the Feminist from Sweden They they they took a picture of themselves to mock Donald Trump's cabinet. It was all female, you know, cabinet It was amazing picture to show that to tell Donald Trump that men and women are equal It was good Later on they went to Iran all those female ministers and all of them wearing hijab doing this To show the Islamic Republic of Iran. Well, you know, men are more equal than women I don't believe in this kind of feminism And I don't believe that when Muslim keep silent true feminists keep silent against compulsory hijab They are really fighting for freedom of choice. They are actually more care about the philosophy behind hijab the political Islam Which really you know bothers me. I Think that everything you have said is magnificent. Thank you so much. Almost inspirational. You know, I'm used to hear a lot of nasty Mr. Marvin Cowell who was the NBC correspondent? Oh, thank you. Honestly, he's very very well He's famous Thank you the question that I have At what point will it be a year 10 years 20 years? Before your vision of Iran, which you would like to see Comes into being Realistically give me a look into the future Look, I'm Iranian politics. It's not it's not predictable. It's like British weather. Actually, they can't predict the weather but We really cannot predict anything when people took this read in 2009 Nobody expects that the huge, you know demonstration to place in Iran and Just recently Iran protests Nobody I mean none of the You know journalists or policy makers the politicians nobody expects that 80 cities in Iran Going to involve in Iran protests So that is why I have to say that now in Iran the main issue is the survival of the public of Iran, which was I have to say that now because of the social media and And this time them the most like the pro-government Those people who supported the revolution who supported the government they became against the government So I have the hope that change comes within the society But I strongly believe if international community ignored these people do not recognize their protest Then nothing gonna happen. You know during 2009 election. There was like Iranian people might know about this. There was a famous a slogan about Obama. First of all, let me clear that Obama means he is with us who means he bar means with Maa means us. He's with us People took this tree and they were saying Obama you either with us or with them Obama didn't take a stand because he was concerned that the Islamic Republic of Iran might take advantage accused The protesters being supported by the Western government by American government. Well, let me tell you something Two presidential challengers. Those are the main pillar of Islamic Republic of Iran or is still in prison being accused That being supported by Western government They killed more than a hundred people and arrested thousands of people and accused them that you're supported by Western government Right now this is happening Again women took to the street people took the street. They protested against the Islamic Republic of Iran What happened the member of the European Parliament went to Iran? Before the deal the higher representative of European Parliament Catherine Ashton when she wants she wanted to go to Iran She put a condition said that I have to meet the women's right activists and then talk about nuclear deal and she did but when the deal happened after the deal The higher representative of European Parliament, but do you come more green he went to Iran? She totally ignored human rights activists. She just went and met the you know President of Iran the Foreign Minister Iran no mention about human rights abuse This is actually important to to to understand that when we bury human rights Under the nuclear deal, then you know, it gives power to the government of Iran to oppress the protesters Thank you so much. My name is Shiva Iranian American Your story really resonated with me because when I visited Iran. I actually visited it in 09 Was there for three months afterwards and they pegged me for a foreigner instantly and I think you know I wore my head job. I wore my motto and everything but it was how I carried myself like my default is like I smile in the streets and Gentlemen take that as an invitation to like accost you and a lot a few times I was like approached and just ignored it and I noticed that women in the streets of Iran Like they are just always kind of grimacing so that people leave them alone And I was wondering with your movement of removing the head job and all the connotation of like this woman This woman is loose. This woman is a certain way. How do we educate our like even newer generation of men? How do we get them on board with us to say? No, she just again wants to feel the wind in her hair amazing question That is why I think we have we have to educate the society as well But in defense of Iranian men, I have to say that this is happening in New York as well come to Brooklyn and walk like this Just a smile But I have to say that Through social media when people talk about it they learn how to you know, how to react to such a thing in the street The new initiative on my white Wednesdays on white Wednesdays campaign is my camera is my weapon So women walking on waltz when they're getting sexual harassment or they're getting you know Attacked by morality police or even ordinary people who think they are you know They have the responsible to take everybody to heaven by force then women can use their mobile phone It just happens to me when I was in London. I got stopped by a pro-government You know gentlemen in the airport and he called me Okay, no, I'm gonna say that Zanicki is zisht. Don't translate it So I don't you bring shame to Iran Chara why because you're talking about you know all the nasty thing all the Backward law and then you bring shame to Iran. I said no I bring shame to Islamic Republic of Iran So he was really mad. I defense and I started to talk and we had a serious debate. I left and I said He called me ugly. Yeah, I you know I talked about the politics where the political debate was went went very well, but he called me ugly I went With my camera and I said you called me ugly. Can you just say that on my camera? And he said no, you know, you know He couldn't say that on my camera and I said I won the battle You know my weapon is to expose the violence and he was ashamed to repeat it on the camera So I I I talk about this on my Instagram It went viral and it encouraged other women to do exactly the same when men attacking them Men when the morality plays attack them they send me videos of their reaction And I just received a video last week a woman sitting down Challenging a morality police. You won't believe me in one day go to my Instagram page. She got six million views and there was 30,000 comments He never had the chance to talk about this for us. This is really important We broke the censorship so we already won the battle So I think this is really important using your mobile next time when you go to Iran. Yes Hi Very moving very eloquent talk. Thank you very much Quick question about this returning this idea of compulsory and versus choice You know clearly the mullahs conservatives in power Want to maintain these restrictions on women's personal freedoms including the hijab? But what about women's groups? Tradition quote-unquote traditional women women who believes at least from the Muslim women in Iran that it really is compulsory Mandated by the Quran or hadith and they're obviously there are this room for interpretation. They're you know My understanding is that you know, it's not mandated by the Quran There's an argument you can make about the hadith and you know the prophet things like that But I'm just curious about kind of what kind of barriers. Have you seen coming from? quote-unquote traditional women's groups to eliminating the requirement From the beginning they were kind of angry Because they didn't take it serious. They thought we are you know against them. Yeah against them We want to make all the people naked. I mean the word naked They really use it when you take off your headscarf sometimes they call you, you know, why are you coming out naked? so but but after that we In our movement we always comes with new initiative to invite different, you know group of people So I invited all women who believe in hijab, but they hate compulsory drop, you know And we created the debate about this and it was really successful woman walking in the street With with her son with her to door, you know both of them supporting freedom of choice But they were not talking about themselves because the mother wearing hijab that was a guy You know hijab was not a matter for him, but this kind of debate actually helped them to understand that This is 21st century, you know, all women should be free to choose what they want to wear I think we shouldn't make people tired then they're not gonna buy the book You got it This gentleman who had his hand up for a long time That is I don't feel like talking without him. Oh, it's so nice of you Thank you, um So, uh, you you spoke to uh, foreign minister Javad Zarif's Resistance to you know, his unwillingness to acquiesce to international pressure on the issue of the hijab From your perspective, uh, is there a way that western governments can better pressure? Foreign minister Zarif and the Rouhani administration at large Into modernizing and westernizing iranian civil society Sometimes I get this question that how you want western, um, especially feminists to help you I say that you know What I want is just you know, don't do anything for us because you're always supporting the government how It's unbelievable When the far the our foreign minister meet like, uh, the the female politician With such a beautiful smile and all the journalists they fell in love with him and they totally forget about You know the the the main issue which is about, you know, human rights and he can easily Easily lie and the journalists say thank you so much So how can I ask them to help us or put more pressure on on on him when they are not even clear about the issue? That is why I rely on our own people when he lies Then people get together and expose the lie Then you know, I myself when I photoshopped him I was really scared that i'm gonna get attacked by you know, so many people But that was the people there were so many men joined us and wearing hijab and it was everywhere showing Jawad Zarif in hijab You know in like channel four like bdc all the media in france in germany And so what was the result? I thought Jawad Zarif next time is not gonna lie, but he did That is why I say that we rely on people instead of begging him to give us a ride Women just taking off their headscarf in public through their civil disobedience You know who equated a women asking for, you know, the rights to wear or not to wear the veil to people in the west Going to mcdonald's without without their clothes on So that's but they can do better Yeah, like um, Mauritius Schacke one of the member of european parliaments I send a letter to her and I ask her when you know when you want to go to iran you have to understand that this among of people 3.6 million women got arrested and warned and sent to court just because of not wearing You know appropriate hijab. They were not even on veil. So I informed all of the female Member of the parliament european parliament. I sent all of them letter with all the statistics And they were saying, you know, we want to solve so many bigger problems. We care about human rights. I said, hey If they don't even let you to control You know your head Then the government are not going to let you to control what's going on in your head when they're not going to let you to You know make a decision about your own body Then they're never going to let you to make decision about bigger problems in the middle east So Mauritius Schacke went to iran And then she was there meeting laroujani meeting the foreign minister and javad zarith She wore her hijab the way that she saw in the street and she said oh, this is normal. I'm gonna wear like this So her neck was too, you know revealing sexy And then she got attacked before she arrives in belgium. She was attacked She was everywhere on the media attacking her that her hijab was not enough And then current pierce the ambassador of united the uk ambassador at the united nation She wants to iran. So she respect the culture of iran So-called and then javad zarith pointed her like this just cover, you know wear it properly So this is you know, this is I never ask any female politician to come and liberate us I asked them to stand up for their own dignity This is my way of just telling them that you know, you're just Misrespecting yourself. You better understand that you by legitimate legitimizing a law You're putting more pressure on women, but most importantly You just you know, you're against your own dignity first thing that our government come here They ask all the western government to remove alcohol beverages from any official dinner. Why? Because they stand up for islamic values. Why shouldn't we stand up for human rights values? And another thing if the west comes with a new law Saying that all the female politician from iran when they come here, they have to take off their hijab What they're gonna do They resist they never say that. Oh, okay. This is the culture of the west Oh, this is required by law. We have to respect the law Slavery used to be legal a bad law should be broken Thank you No, you know message on I Um, I usually try not to get emotional when I come to a meeting like this But I am allowing myself. I'm wallowing in emotions and and thank you. Thank you so much all through your speech Two things came to my mind. One was a memory from iran When I had a lot of hominy died it was early in the morning and we were all in our living And my daughter was very young She was about four or five and she kept running to the window and then coming back and running to us And then she turned to me and said mom mom. He's not dead. The women are still wearing their scarves And I thought yeah, and I thought you know, what is it? In a woman that makes a man die I mean his life depends upon whether I wear my scarf or not And that is what you gave us today The fact is that hijab is not just about tradition or culture or religion. It's about freedom of choice And the fact is that for you one other thing that you did today, which I'm very thankful for Is the fact that You know These issues always come out only as political issues and they brand one You talked about being branded. I have been called. You know all sorts of things But the fact is that you made the issue not a political one What an existential one The fact that for a woman Like you or like me or for any other woman whether they wear the hijab or not when someone else Tries to impose Their image of what we should be like. They're killing us Literally killing us. They we hate ourselves. We deny and negate ourselves And I'm so proud I'm so proud of sitting here Listening to you Thank you. Thank you. Thank you Uh, merci merci my you you were my hero. You're still my hero and thank you so much for But I always say to the to to to women in iran that Never make people hero be your own hero But we always have something in our heart, you know from your from our childhood. We cannot we cannot deny it Thank you so much And that means a lot to me because you know as I said that I was the listener when I was in iran I'm when I was um in women in the war stomach. They were like 3000 non- iranian women I was showing them my the picture of my brother and the picture of my mother and My brother just sent me a text and said I cannot believe that I am there with my pijama Of And then I said to um to my brother that you know, this is really important because I used your story to encourage Many men around me Because I said that when you're really looking for a change look for for a close ally We are not against men when you point your you know your ally among In within the society in your family Then you win because the government always want to use men to oppress women We have to break this barrier and we have to get together and I used adi And I ruined his freedom as a child Because he was little. Oh my god. I want to say everything now He was little he was he was little he was not allowed to go and jump on the river on his own He had to go with my older brother But he used to do that a lot when my mom You know used to have a nap after after lunch and then I said mom adi is not around adi is not around So when adi came back my mom punished him The day after he was like begging me don't ruin my freedom I said no if you want to go there you have to take me with you If not teach me how to ride a bicycle. I don't want to stay behind the curtain Now any wrong this is the time Don't only ask the government to give you a ride back Ask your brother your husband your father why they go to to the stadium when their daughter sister mothers You know getting bitten up behind the door. I don't understand that we need a lot of adi You know that is that is I always use my personal story. Thank you for encouraging us Millions of Iranian women to tell you know their personal story and use it to uh to make awareness Thank you