220922 IMSD strongly condemns the repressive Iranian regime.docx

1. September 23, 2022
Press statement
“IMSD strongly condemns the repressive Iranian regime, questions the
hypocrisy of the Muslim clergy in India”
Indian Muslims for Secular Democracy (IMSD) strongly condemns the Iranian State’s
obscurantist, authoritarian laws and their murderous enforcement, as also the denial
of the citizens’ right to protest. In this third decade of the 21st century it’s inhuman
and barbaric to kill a fellow human being merely for not covering her head.
At the same time, we question the hypocrisy of India’s Muslim clergy in not
supporting the Iranian women’s right to choose, an argument it puts forward in the
context of the ongoing hijab controversy in India.
The world is witnessing a horrendous turn of events in Iran where State atrocity has
caused the custodial murder of a 22-years-old young woman, #MahasaAmini , just
for taking off her head cover. No less shocking is the fact that those protesting the
murder by peacefully defying the mandatory head covering are being subjected to
violence, humiliation and arrests on the streets by the police.
The news and real time videos coming from Tehran and other parts of Iran are heart
wrenching. However the heart-warming aspect of these protests is the active
support of young Iranian men who are opposing both archaic traditional practices
and State atrocities.
In this epochal moment, the Indian clergy and conservative Muslims in general that
support mandatory head covering for Muslim women, citing the principle of right to

2. choose attire, must be questioned whether they support Iranian women’s ‘right to
choose or refuse head coverings’?
It will be hypocritical of all those who tom-tom this liberal democratic argument that
‘forced removal of burqa, naqab, hijab is against the basic human rights of a woman’,
but who do not come forward in support of Iranian women of different faiths who
are forced to cover their heads in consonance with Islamic Shariah practices of Iran.
It is to be noted here that in Iran the rule of mandatory head covering is applicable to
Muslims and non-Muslims alike.
IMSD calls upon the civil society in India to challenge the hypocrisy of those religious
power elite who choose the liberal principles of Indian constitution as per their
fundamentalist and misogynistic conveniences while they remain tight lipped when
these principles are flouted against the progressive aspirations of the citizens in
Islamic States.
Signatories:
1. Akbar Shaikh, Indian Muslims Secular Youth Movement, Solapur
2. Amir Rizvi, IMSD, Designer, Mumbai
3. Anjum Javed, Delhi
4. Anjum Rajabali, IMSD, Film writer, Mumbai.
5. Ali Bhojani, IMSD, Mumbai
6. Alok Sheel, retired IAS, Delhi
7. (Dr) Anthony P. J.
8. (Dr.) Anuradha Chenoi, Delhi
9. Anurag Chaturvedi, senior journalist, Mumbai
10.Arif Kapadia, IMSD, Business, Mumbra
11.Arshad Alam, IMSD, Writer, Columnist, Delhi
12.Asha Puri, Delhi
13.Ashhar Khan, Jaunpur

3. 14.Asiya Shervani, Hyderabad
15.Askari Zaidi, IMSD, Senior Journalist, Activist, Mumbai
16.Dr. Azeez Pasha, Hyderabad
17.Deepak Sanon, retired IAS
18.Dipak Malik, Varanasi
19.Dipak Roy, Delhi
20.Feroz Abbas Khan, IMSD, Theatre & Films Director, Mumbai
21.Feroze Mithiborwala, Co-convener, IMSD, Mumbai
22.(Dr) G. G. Parikh, Freedom fighter, Mumbai
23.Ghulam Mohiuddin, USA
24.Ghulam Rasool Dehlvi, Writer, Teacher, Researcher in Culture, Media & Islamic
Studies
25.(Prof.) Girija Gupte, Feminist, Mumbai
26.Guddi S. L. , Activist, Mumbai
27.Harsh Kapoor, Independent researcher, Editor, France
28.Irfan Engineer, IMSD, CSSS, Mumbai
29.(Dr.) Jamsheed Rizwani, France
30.Jasjit Randhawa
31.Javed Akhtar, IMSD, Poet, Film Writer, former MP, Mumbai
32.Javed Anand, Convener, IMSD, Mumbai
33.Jyoti Badekar, Bharat Bachao Andolan, Panvel
34.Kanhaiya Lal Sharma
35.Kasim Sait, IMSD, Businessman, activist, Chennai
36.Kishor Jagtap, Ganai Cultural Movement, Kalyan
37.Kusum Verma, Varanasi
38.Madhu Prasad, IMSD, retired professor, activist Delhi
39.Mahabub Shaikh, Indian Muslims Secular Youth Movement, Bengaluru
40.Mallika Sarabhai, activist, Indian classical dancer, actress, Ahmedabad
41.Mandita Mitra, Delhi

4. 42.Medha Patkar, NAPM Convener, Mumbai
43.Mohammed Imran, USA, Delhi
44.Prof. Mridula Mukherjee, Delhi
45.Muniza Khan, IMSD, Social Activist, Varanasi
46.Nandita Sehgal, retired IAS
47.Naseeruddin Shah, Actor, Mumbai
48.ND Jayaprakash
49.Neelima Sharma, Theatre, Delhi
50.Nihar Bhattacharya, Varanasi
51.Nirmala George, Delhi
52.Persis Ginwala, Ahmedabad
53.Pratibha Shinde, Lok Sangarsh Morcha, Jalgaon
54.(Dr) Ram Puniyani, Author, activist, Mumbai
55.(Dr.) Qaiser Shameem, Delhi
56.Renu, Delhi
57.Ritambhara Shastri, Delhi
58.Rooprekha Verma, activist, former vice-chancellor Lucknow University.
59.Sabah Khan, IMSD, Parcham, Mumbai/Mumbra
60.Sadique Basha, IMSD, Activist, Mira Road, Thane
61.Saif Mahmood, IMSD, Lawyer, Supreme Court, Delhi
62.Sandip Pandey, Political activist, Lucknow
63.Sarita Sabiruddin, USA
64.(Dr.) Satish Mishra, Delhi
65.Satya Narayan Sahu
66.Satyen K Bordoloi, IMSD, Copywriter, editor, Mumbai
67.Shabana Azmi, Actor, former MP, activist, Mumbai
68.Shabana Dean, Naturopath, Mumbai
69.Shafat Khan, IMSD, Writer, Mumbai
70.(Dr) Shanawaz Alam, IMSD, Asst Professor, Sultanpur

5. 71.Shalini Dhawan, Designer, Mumbai
72.Shama Bano, Varanasi
73.Shama Zaidi, IMSD, Documentary Film Maker, Mumbai
74.Shamsul Islam, Author, Delhi
75.Sheeba Aslam Fehmi, IMSD, feminist writer, research scholar and a senior
journalist, Delhi
76.Shikha Sen, Delhi
77.Smita Salunkhe, Vidyarthi Bharti, Kalyan
78.Subhashini Ali, CPI(M), AIDWA, Kanpur
79.Sujata Bhattacharya, Varanasi
80.Sultan Shahin, Editor-in-chief, New Age Islam, Delhi
81.(Dr.) Sunilam, former ex-MLA, activist, Indore
82.Sunita Vedantam, Delhi
83.Taizoon Khorakiwala, IMSD, Businessman, philanthropist, Mumbai
84.Teesta Setalvad, IMSD, CJP, Mumbai
85.Tushar Gandhi, Author, activist, Mumbai
86.Utpala, Delhi
87.Vasanthi Raman, Retired professor, Delhi
88.Vibha Wahi, Varanasi
89.Vibhuti Narain Rai, IMSD, retired IPS, writer, commentator, Noida
90.V.K. Singh, Varanasi
91.Vimla Chand, Sydney
92.Yashodhan Paranjpe, social activist, Mumbai
93.Yogendra Yadav, Swaraj Abhiyan, Delhi
94.Zakia Soman, BMMA, Delhi
95.Zeenat Shaukatali, IMSD, Islamic Scholar, Wisdom Foundation, Mumbai