By Sara Atta
Women from the Leader's Point of View - Part 6
TEHRAN – One of the most important manifestations of the presence of Iranian women in the Iran-Iraq war was 'supporting the combatants and providing the necessary supplies for the warriors on the battlefields'.
Since the beginning of the 8-year war that was imposed by former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein on Iran in the 1980s (known also as Sacred Defense in Iran), most of the services of the Iranian women were performed spontaneously and less organized in centers such as mosques, Husseiniyahs, schools, etc.
The women's activities in war logistics and support headquarters were not limited to specific cases and they performed various activities according to their abilities. Strengthening the morale of the warriors for a more enthusiastic presence on the battlefields was one of the most important and obvious activities of women during the imposed war.
Iranian women themselves prepared the arrangements for the presence of their children and husbands on the fronts. During the war, many women accepted the responsibility or duty of staying at home and raising their children as their husbands fought on the front lines.
In this regard, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said, "It is women who prepare and encourage their husbands and children to step into the most dangerous arenas... If our women had not fought on the battlefields during the eight-year war which was imposed on us, if they had not been present in different national arenas, we would not have achieved victory in that difficult test. Our women helped us achieve victory. The mothers and wives of our martyrs and war veterans created an atmosphere with their patience in which our youth and men were encouraged to have a determined presence." (July 11, 2012)
In the first days of the invasion of the Baathists, the Jameh (Grand) Mosque of Khorramshahr was an important support center for the defenders in the Battle of Khorramshahr which took place from 22 September to 10 November 1980 and the imposed war (1980–88). During these days, women were engaged in cooking and preparing food for the warriors. Some of the women also used to bake bread in their homes and send it to the soldiers.
Khorramshahr was eventually recaptured by the Iranians during Operation Beit ol-Moqaddas in 1982. Notably, 25% of the fighting force in the city were women as they refused to evacuate and sought to defend it.
During the imposed war, many Iranian women also donated their possessions such as money and gold to help the warriors on the front lines. Another spontaneous activity of women was to collect public donations and try to provide necessary items for the combatants.
Among the other things in which women had active participation was weaving, sewing, and tailoring clothes and other items that were used by warriors in different weather conditions. Washing the clothes of soldiers and the wounded in the hospitals and war support centers was among the other voluntary works that women did during the Sacred Defense era.
In his speech on September 21, 2020, Ayatollah Khamenei referred to the presence of different segments of society in the Sacred Defense and said, “I went to Ahwaz [A city in Khuzestan province] and visited a center where a group of respectable women had gathered and were washing the soldiers’ dirty clothes."
The Leader was referred to a visit made to the War Support Center in Ahwaz in August of 1988, during which he was briefed on the work of women. Under the supervision of Martyr Alam al-Huda's mother, they were washing and mending the clothes of the veterans and soldiers and sending them back to the fronts.
In some cases, women have played an active role in moving, maintaining, guarding, and protecting the soldiers' ammunition. One of the women's actions in the early days of the war was to build bunkers and shelters. Based on the reports, some women who participated in the Battle of Khorramshahr took the lead in erecting a wall for the defenders of Khorramshahr Bridge.
"The power of faith opened the path to great endeavors for Iranian women and it created amazing, unique scenes involving their courageous, self-sacrificing, creative presence in difficult arenas. Some of these glories include: holding enthusiastic demonstrations in the days of the Revolution, participating in the unforgettable Sacred Defense, being heroes in battle, allowing their sons and husbands to embrace danger in the field of battle, and offering back-up support,..." Ayatollah Khamenei said. (March 8, 2021)
Blood donation was another voluntary measure that Iranian women took during the imposed war.
In addition to all the measures the women took in that era, Iranian women agreed to marry veterans and fighters with great enthusiasm while they knew that by accepting this marriage, they would have to endure many hardships.
The Leader of the Islamic Revolution in his message to the Congress on 7,000 Martyred Iranian Women said, "During the Revolution and the Sacred Defense Era, Iranian women combined their womanly feelings, kindness, and affections with the spirit of jihad, martyrdom, and resistance. Iranian women conquered male-dominated arenas with courage, purity, and self-sacrifice." (Mar 6, 2013)
Ayatollah Khamenei in his message mentioned that during the Revolution and the Sacred Defense Era, brave Iranian women were new role models who were neither like Eastern nor Western women. "This army of angels, who laid down their lives in the way of Islam, stepped into the arena of action and they took on the role of the new architects of Iran."
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