ACTION ALERT: Dr. Homa Hoodfar

Dr. Homa Hoodfar, a highly respected university professor at Concordia University, Montreal has been arrested and detained in Iran's notorious Evin prison on Monday 6, June 2016. She is an anthropologist who conducts ethnographic research across the Middle East, as well on Muslims living in the West. Her research is known to be balanced and several of her studies highlight the opportunities and high status that women have availed of in various Muslim countries, including in Iran. Her arrest is incomprehensible given that she has never been involved in politics of any sort.

We request the Iranian authorities to provide Dr Hoodfar immediate access to her family and lawyer, ensure she has the medicines she requires for her neurological illness, and release Dr Hoodfar and to return her passport.

For more information, see: homahoodfar.org

ACTION ALERT

Dr. Homa Hoodfar, a highly respected university professor at Concordia University, Montreal has been arrested and detained in Iran's notorious Evin prison on Monday 6, June 2016.

Hoodfar, 65, is an internationally renowned and widely published anthropologist who studies a range of issues related to women’s roles and status in Muslim contexts.

Born in Iran, Hoodfar has been living in Montreal for 30 years. A Canadian, Irish and Iranian national, Professor Hoodfar travelled to Iran in February this year to see her family. Shortly before she was to return home, she was arrested in March, but released on bail. After being interrogated by authorities for months, Hoodfar was once again summoned for interrogation on Monday June 6th and imprisoned.

It is not clear what the charges against Dr. Hoodfar are. Her arrest is incomprehensible given that she has never been involved in politics of any sort. She is an anthropologist who conducts ethnographic research across the Middle East, as well on Muslims living in the West. Indeed, her research is known to be balanced and several of her studies highlight the opportunities and high status that women have availed of in various Muslim countries, including in Iran. She is very much a patriot when it comes to Iran, and often argues that change must come from within through internal processes in societies and working within religious parametres. For instance, in one of her writings, she showcases women volunteer health workers in Iran, by highlighting how they have “acquired a sense of self-fulfillment and self-worth,” within the religious context of Iran.

Professor Hoodfar is appreciated everywhere for her unprejudiced views of politics and history. She is a great proponent of giving voice to Third-world women, particularly Muslim women. She was among the pioneer scholars to highlight Muslim women’s public roles that have been justified through religious precepts. Her writings have greatly contributed to challenging the essentialised portrayals of Muslim women that was prominent in Western scholarship.  In a ground-breaking book on the Muslim Veil in North America, Prof. Hoodfar writes about the significance of veiling as a visible marker of Islam in the West, as well as an adoptive strategy.

It is of deep concern that, following her arrest, Dr. Hoodfar is not being allowed to see her lawyer or contact family and that her relatives have not been able to ensure she has the medication she needs. Dr. Hoodfar suffered a stroke last year and has a neurological illness that needs regular medical attention and treatment.

We therefore request the Iranian authorities to:

• Provide Dr Hoodfar immediate access to her family and lawyer;
• Ensure Dr Hoodfar has the medicines she requires for her neurological illness, her condition is monitored and the report shared with her family;
• Release Dr Hoodfar and return her passport and other essential documents so she can travel freely, to access proper medical care, and to resume her academic work.

#FreeHoma #FreeHomaNow #FreeHomaHoodfar

TAKE ACTION NOW

Please write immediately to the following officials, using the sample letters provided below. We ask you to keep the focus on Homa's balanced scholarly research (in other words, please do not add any other details, or alter the message).  Please make sure to cc: FreeHoma@gn.apc.org on any emails or letters sent.

Here are actions & useful documents below you can use for yourself, or to alert colleagues & friends:

- Write to Iranian Embassy in your place of residence: see sample letter below; you will need to add the name/ email of your local Iranian consulate/embassy. Please check the link for more info about local Iranian consulate/embassy:  http://www.embassypages.com/iran

- Write to Canadian and Irish authorities to take up the matter of their citizen: Homa is an Iranian/Canadian/Irish national - see  sample letters below to be sent to Irish + Canadian officials to pressure them to take action.

- Media, social media, blogs : See the social media toolkit below, including the Facbook page and hashtag #FreeHomaHoodfar 

Sample Letter to Iranian Authorities

Authorities to write to and addresses

1. The Honorable Dr. Hassan Rouhani

    President of the Islamic Republic of Iran

    Pasteur Street, Pasteur Square

   Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran

   c/o His Excellency Gholam Ali Khoshroo, the Iranian Ambassador to the UN    email: iran@un.int

2. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
    Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran
    c/o H.E. Mr. Gholamali Khoshroo
   Permanent Representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations
   622 Third Avenue, 34th Floor
   New York, NY 10017, USA
   email: iran@un.int
   fax: +1 (212) 867-7086

3. Honorable Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran

For more info about local Iranian consulate/embassy: http://www.embassypages.com/iran

   email________________

   Fax_________________

                                                                                                                                                                            [DATE]

Your Excellency,

We/I write to express our/my shock at hearing that Dr. Homa Hoodfar was arrested on June 6th 2016 and detained in Evin prison in Tehran.

We/I would like to draw your attention to the fact that Dr. Homa Hoodfar, is a highly respected university professor at Concordia University, Montreal where she has been residing for 30 years. She is an internationally renowned and widely published anthropologist who studies a range of issues related to the role of woman in Middle Eastern societies and their struggles.

We/I understand that Professor Hoodfar travelled to Iran in February this year to see her family. Shortly before she was to return home, she was arrested in March, but released on bail. After being interrogated for months, Professor Hoodfar was once again summoned for interrogation on Monday June 6th and then imprisoned.

Dr. Hoodfar’s arrest is incomprehensible. She is not a political activist, but an anthropologist who conducts ethnographic research across the Middle East. Indeed, her research is known to be balanced and several of her studies highlight the opportunities and high status that women have availed of in various Muslim countries, including in Iran. This is the case for example, of her recent work that showcases women volunteer health workers in Iran’s health system. As stated in the report Health Workers and Health Knowledge as Avenues of Empowerment, the “research project has created the space for women we interviewed to reflect on their acquired sense of self-fulfillment and self-worth; and how they have overcome the problems and challenges that accompanied their new role in the public sphere as health volunteers.”

Professor Hoodfar is highly recognized internationally for her unprejudiced views of local cultures and histories. She is very much a patriot when it comes to Iran, and often argues that change must come from within through internal processes in societies and working within existing cultural parametres. She was among the pioneer scholars to highlight Muslim women’s public roles that have been justified through religious precepts. Her writings have greatly contributed to challenging the essentialised portrayals of Muslim women that was prominent in Western scholarship until recently.

We/I are/am deeply concerned that, following her arrest, Dr. Hoodfar is not being allowed to see her lawyer or contact family and that her relatives have not been able to ensure she has the medication she needs for a serious neurological condition.

We/I would draw your attention to the fact that Dr. Hoodfar suffered a stroke last year and because of her illness, she requires regular medical attention and treatment for which she needs to return to Canada.

We/I therefore respectfully request that the Iranian authorities:

* Provide Dr Hoodfar immediate access to her family and lawyer;

* Ensure Dr Hoodfar has the medicines she requires for her neurological illness, her condition is monitored and the report shared with her family;

* Release Dr Hoodfar and return her passport and other essential documents so she can travel freely, to access proper medical care, and to resume her academic work.

Yours sincerely

NAME_____________

(If relevant) INSTITUTION ____________

(If relevant) DESIGNATION

COUNTRY______________ 

- Media, social media and blogs attachments: