Amongst all the flyers for clubs and events sprawled around both campuses this month, you may have seen a specific light blue flyer displaying a cartoon image of a woman’s face behind bars. If you don’t know by now, that woman is Canadian-Iranian citizen Dr. Homa Hoodfar, an anthropology professor at Concordia University. Dr. Hoodfar had been held prisoner in an Iranian prison for 112 days and was released yesterday. CBC stated that Dr. Hoodfar was charged, amongst other things, with “dabbling in feminism”.
Concordia students and faculty tried to aid in the freeing of Dr. Hoodfar in different ways such as starting a petition, which according to CTV news has over 5000 signatures, and holding a peaceful rally calling for her immediate release last Wednesday.
The whole ordeal has everyone buzzing in excitement, including Concordia University President Alan Shepard who said, “The Concordia community — in particular faculty and staff members and unions — played a critical role in securing her release. This is a victory for academic freedom.”
Dr. Hoodfar went to Iran for personal and professional reasons last February. Word of her detainment reached Concordia around June. It was reported that she was imprisoned in March until September 26th after continuous pressure not only from the Canadian government, but from Concordia students and faculty. It was also reported that Dr. Hoodfar’s mental health was a major concern as she already suffered from a neurological condition that the horror of imprisonment could have worsened.
This happy ending comes as a refreshing break from our newsfeeds which continue to fill with political and racial tensions. Not only can we be proud of our fellow Concordia students and faculty for being a part of the movement that brought justice for Dr. Homa Hoodfar, but we can also take this story as hope that, we can accomplish the seemingly impossible.
P.S
For those interested, Dr. Homa Hoodfar is the author of The Women’s Movement in Iran: Women at the Crossroads of Secularization and Islamization, as well as other bodies of work, which can be found in the Concordia library and online.