News/Commentary

AOC gets lit up after comparing Iranian anti-hijab protest to US pro-abortion movement

September 26, 2022 | | Print Article

One member of The Squad is under fire for blithely comparing the human rights protests in Iran with the anti-abortion movement in America.

U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., took to social media to capitalize on protests in the Persian Gulf country to advocate for the “right to choose,” this being a reference to abortion, of course.

“Solidarity with the courageous women and allies in Iran protesting for their freedom,” the self-avowed democratic socialist tweeted Friday. “Mahsa Amini was senselessly murdered by the same patriarchal and autocratic forces repressing women the world over. The right to choose belongs to us all, from hijabs to reproductive care.”

“There are too many problems with this one social media post to address succinctly, including the absurd notion that anything other than abortion on demand is comparable to the policies of a regime that brutalizes both its own people through totalitarian control and others by funding terrorist groups across the world,” wrote Ian Haworth in an op-ed published in the Washington Examiner. “But one higher-level problem shines through: Men, women, and children in Iran are truly suffering, enduring a form of ruthless mistreatment that privileged political hacks such as Ocasio-Cortez could never imagine in their wildest nightmares.”

Since the arrest and killing of 22-year-old journalist Mahsa Amini for allegedly violating Iran’s modesty laws by wearing her hijab incorrectly, protests have spread throughout the nation. The country’s morality police have been accused of beating the young woman while in custody, which they have denied.

Friday, members of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (MEK), who seek to overthrow the Iranian regime, posted to social media that protesters had “torched an IRGC base late Friday night” while thousands reportedly marched through the streets in Oshnavieh, Iran.

Ocasio-Cortez’s take echoed similar comments made last week by “The View” co-host Joy Behar who agreed with the women protesting in Iran but added that “we should be standing in solidarity in this country for men trying to control us with their abortion laws.”

“First, she devalues the unimaginable bravery of those in Iran who are risking their lives to stand up for the kinds of rights we in the West take for granted, as if those screaming outside Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s home in response to the reversal of Roe v. Wade are demonstrating comparable levels of bravery,” Haworth said of Ocasio-Cortez. “Second, she also devalues the debate over abortion, as if the right to choose whether or not to wear a headscarf is comparable to the nonexistent right to terminate the life of an unborn baby.”

Others were also offended by Ocasio-Cortez’s attempts to minimize the struggle Iranian people face every day, comparing their complete lack of basic rights with providing protections for unborn children.

“Stop projecting your Feminist biases upon what is a national struggle for the sovereignty of Iranian People,” responded Arta Moeini, a research director at Georgetown’s Institute for Peace and Diplomacy. “Stop appropriating Iran for your Woke agenda & liberation theology.”

Many felt her disconnect from the human rights atrocities taking place outside the United States was fully on display with Friday’s tweet.

Several saw the offensive tweet as hypocritical coming from Ocasio-Cortez. Others felt the tweet was simply undignified.

Another critic said the tweet was dangerous and called out Ocasio-Cortez for harming the Iranian people’s movement even as her fellow Squad members, Reps. Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar, the only two Muslim women in Congress, have remained silent.

Police in Iran have reacted quickly and violently to the hijab protests, with many posting videos to social media in hopes of galvanizing the world to support the fight for freedom.

“If history is any guide, Iranian government security forces will soon begin mowing down protestors in the street,” tweeted New York Magazine and HuffPost Iranian-American journalist Yashar Ali. “The best thing you can do is to keep this story alive. Iranians may be silenced by their government, but that does not mean the world has to be silent.”

Iran has since accused the U.S of meddling in its affairs.

“Washington is always trying to weaken Iran’s stability and security although it has been unsuccessful,” Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani said, according to reporting by Reuters.

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MJ Smith
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