Iranian women say 'no' to war

An Iranian women's group issued a statement Thursday calling on the West to avoid getting involved in a war with their country on the occasion of International Women's Day. "War signifies the silencing of our demands and civil protest," the statement said.

Women's rights activists posted videos on Youtube where they explain why they're against a military conflict. "War for us, means destructive violence committed against women and children. It means more severe crackdowns," they said.

Nefiseh explains her opposition to war 

The Iranian women are concerned that a Western strike against nuclear facilities will hurt their efforts to achieve better rights and reform state laws that discriminate them. "We do not want to become the silent victims of this monster."

"The continuation of this situation will cast a shadow of war and a militarized atmosphere over our country, exposing our people, women in particular, to further discrimination, various kinds of violence, poverty and adversity."

In a video titled "I'm against war" Nefiseh said, "Now when the voice of war is being heard louder than ever there is no chance for the voice of defiance. The war is a time for generals who brag so every other voice becomes extinct. I am against the war since I think that hearing the voice of men and women who fight for freedom and equality is so much better than the voice of armament."

An older activist, Firouzeh, also explained her opposition to war. "We the women in this region have been living with a nightmare of sanctions and war for decades. There are too many women in the Middle East that are not mothers anymore and have to suffer this deprivation for the rest of their lives."

The activists explained that they chose to mark the International Women's Day in videos as they could not celebrate it publically in the streets of Iran.

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