Barack Obama and Michelle Obama are celebrating International Day of the Girl with a timely commendation. The former president and first lady shared a statement on Oct. 11 praising the Iranian women and girls currently involved in demonstrations taking place both online and on the ground. The Obamas said that the Iranian women and girls are delivering a powerful message and standing strong against injustice.
“You are delivering a powerful message that injustice should not be tolerated,” stated the Obamas in a statement issued by them on Iran’s anti-hijab protests on the International Day of the Girl.
The Obamas said they were in awe of the Iranian girls who had played such a leadership role in insisting that the future be different from the past and that Iranian women enjoy the full rights and opportunities that they deserve.
On this International Day of the Girl, we stand in solidarity with the courageous Iranian women and girls who have inspired the world through their ongoing protests. pic.twitter.com/71WfEdMt9A
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) October 11, 2022
The former US President and First Lady mentioned that the rights they seek are universal: equality, the ability to make their own choices about how they look and dress and express their identities, and the freedom to do so without facing harassment, intimidation, and violence.
In a shout-out to all those who were out there advocating for their rights, they said, “We are moved by your acts of protest, and bear witness to your bravery in facing down the brutality of a regime resisting calls for change.”
Encouraging them to never lose hope, the Obamas said, “There are surely difficult days ahead, and our hearts go out to those who have tragically lost loved ones in Iran. But we believe that the future will ultimately belong to the young women and girls of Iran who are refusing to be silent.”
“You remind us that true power comes not from clinging to the past, but from the effort to build a better future,” they added.
Iran has been facing massive protests by women against the custodial death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who had been detained by the country’s morality police for violating the Islamic nation’s conservative dress code. The protests are growing more violent by the day and spreading across the globe like wildfire.
