Email your MP

1. Find you MP using the following link: https://members.parliament.uk/FindYourMP 

2. Copy and paste the text to email your MP 

3. Note: make sure to include your UK address, including postcode, at the bottom of the letter, otherwise it will get ignored.

1. Subject line: Urgent Call to Address and Support the End of Gender Apartheid in Iran

2. Feel free to personalise the subject & body of the text 

Dear [MP Name],

I hope this message finds you well. I am writing as a deeply concerned member of your constituency to urge you to address the critical issue of gender apartheid in Iran and the broader human rights abuses perpetrated by the Islamic Republic regime. 

Women in Iran are enduring some of their darkest moments, across the country, thousands of Iranians are being tortured, imprisoned, and hundreds have been brutally killed in the streets. We must urgently amplify awareness, take action to alleviate their suffering, and stand in solidarity with their fight for freedom, justice, and human rights.

The Islamic Republic regime is a dictatorship that enforces gender apartheid on Iranian women and girls daily. Under this regime, women are considered half the value of men. From the age of 9, Iranian girls are forced to wear the hijab, with the so-called ‘morality’ police using violence against those who do not comply. Women and girls require permission to marry, face significant barriers to divorce, and have limited custody rights over their children. Despite being highly educated, Iranian women are barred from holding high-ranking positions and are excluded from certain sectors entirely.

On November 2nd, 2024, Iranian student Ahou Daryaei was reportedly confronted by Tehran University campus security for allegedly violating the Islamic Republic regime’s compulsory hijab laws. In response, the 'morality' police forcibly removed some of her clothing, leading her to disrobe down to her underwear in protest. This act of protest led to her being detained by the morality police and forcibly transported to a psychiatric hospital. The regime labels women protesting gender discrimination as "mentally unwell" or "hysterical," using psychiatric facilities as a longstanding tactic of repression to silence those who defy its patriarchal laws. Her defiant act was captured by fellow students and quickly went viral on social media, sparking outrage and solidarity around the world.

Ahou’s arrest and institutionalisation are the latest state-led efforts to crush dissent, particularly within the Woman, Life, Freedom movement. This movement began two years ago with the death of Mahsa Jina Amini, an Iranian Kurdish woman who died in custody after being arrested by the morality police for allegedly wearing her headscarf improperly. Since then, acts of civil disobedience—such as women removing headscarves and men defying dress codes by wearing skirts/shorts—have become powerful symbols of resistance. 

In 2019, Iran’s brutal regime murdered more than 1500 protestors across country. This is not an isolated story in Iran; it reflects the harsh reality under the brutal regime. Iranian women are barred from entering sports stadiums to watch men’s events. Married women must obtain their husband’s permission to get a passport and travel abroad, restricting their freedom of movement. Schools are segregated by gender, limiting interaction and creating unequal learning environments for girls.

The Islamic Republic of Iran has repeatedly breached international human rights laws, yet the UK government has remained silent on this crisis. This inaction has raised concerns within the UK’s Iranian community—comprising over 300,000 individuals—that the UK may tacitly support these atrocities.

We cannot remain silent any longer. As your constituent, I urge you to stand for equality, justice, and human rights. I respectfully ask you to:

1. Draft Early Day Motions, engage with ministers, life peers, and the Foreign Office, and schedule parliamentary debates to address this issue.

2. Publicly demand and actively support campaigns to end gender apartheid in Iran.

3. Call on the UK government to stop enabling the Islamic Republic regime

The UK must take a firm stand by boycotting and defunding the Islamic Republic of Iran immediately. It must end any business dealings that enable or legitimise the regime. The UK should support efforts by imposing coordinated, targeted, multilateral sanctions, divesting from regime-linked entities, and excluding the regime and its services from all forms of cooperation specifically to end gender apartheid in Iran.

I urge you to act swiftly, as millions of innocent lives are at stake. Throughout history, betrayal and injustice have plagued us, but we all have a role in standing on the right side of history. To learn more about how you can support their campaign, visit https://www.united4mahsa.com/ or email info@united4mahsa.com, a London-based social activism group dedicated to human rights issues in Iran. 

I remain hopeful for your commitment to upholding international law and look forward to the day we can restore dignity and trust within the Iranian community, both in Iran and abroad.

Yours sincerely,

[Your Name]

[Your UK Address]