Beyond elite demands

[Rasputin]

[Rasputin]

But the Campaign illuminated a new path. The Campaign hoped to be able to slowly attract individuals who had reached a certain level of understanding about the need for legal equality between men and women, and whom did not have a solution for achieving their goals. Through this strategy the Campaign worked to reach different layers of society with its message of equality.

It is important to highlight an important point that acts as guide for the activities of the Campaign. Within the Campaign, no one sets priorities and no one is a leader. As such, activists are free to adopt strategies which work for them. These guiding principles are unique to the Campaign. Other efforts which aimed to reach beyond the Capital city of Tehran into the provinces and into grassroots communities had been stifled because of these same challenges. Recognizing these issues, Campaign founders initiated a discussion with other activists in the provinces and by utilizing participatory strategies sought to move forward with the effort in a collective manner.

Another major factor contributing to the growth of the Campaign is the decision not to identify priorities. In the beginning there was much discussion on which laws to identify as priorities or whether we should pick certain laws to address over others. In the end, the founders of the Campaign decided that identification of priorities and "most important" laws needing reform, by a group of approximately 60 women, living in Tehran, the Capital of Iran, who are all educated and come from middle class backgrounds, would not necessarily be representative of the needs and priorities of all Iranian women. If in fact we believe that the need to change and reform discriminatory laws is broadly felt by Iranian women as whole, then this small group must not take it upon themselves to identify priorities. Instead we should allow those who sign the petition to identify their own priorities. As such, in the petition form we provided the option for each person who signs to identify their own priorities with respect to laws that they felt should be reformed by legislators first.

As such, it was not the demands put forth by the One Million Signatures Campaign that allowed it to grow so broadly, because these demands have been expressed by Iranian women since the Constitutional Revolution in 1906. This time, however, it was the strategies employed by the Campaign that allowed for it to move into new circles and penetrate the grassroots. These include: the different approaches taken toward expressing our demands, or the face-to-face educational strategy; active recruitment of new activists to the Campaign; training provided to new activists joining our effort; and the participatory and horizontal approach to management of the Campaign and implementation of its goals.

By relying on these same strategies, activists are provided an opportunity to introduce the Campaign to women who are struggling on a daily basis with the impact of discriminatory laws on their lives. All public spaces are utilized by activists to reach out to a broader audience, including busses, the streets, universities, prayer meetings and family gatherings and parties.

Despite the success of these strategies, we need to keep in mind that still there is a need to address theoretical issues related to the Campaign and the women’s movement. We need to take advantage of the knowledge and expertise of intellectuals and scholars within the women’s movement, with a view toward addressing challenges and shortcomings within the Campaign. The Campaign can thrive only when it relies on the power of the people who struggle for equality, but it must while also rely on the insights of scholars to assist in analyzing its strengths and developing new strategies and approaches designed to achieve goals.