Despite the United Nations naming International Days to combat violence against women and terror, the relentless crimes against women and children in Gaza—and the backing of these atrocities by powerful nations—reveal that these proclamations are largely performative. As Martyr Avini observed, this is a clear example of how words are being debased in today’s media culture.
✍|by Ms. Maryam Orduoei
Showy International Days vs. Stark Reality
You’re surely familiar with those grand names the United Nations gives to certain days each year—like November 25 as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, March 8 as International Women’s Day, and August 28 as International Day against Terrorism. These labels sound noble, but if their actual purpose is to reduce global violence against women, honor them, and curb terrorism, why do we often see the exact opposite in practice?
Gaza: One of the World’s Largest Open-Air Prisons
Over the past year alone, seventeen thousand women and children in Gaza—one of the world’s most open-air prisons—have been martyred. The region’s true face of terror, the so-called Zionist regime, continues to enjoy the support of Western powers. This glaring paradox brings to mind a commentary by Martyr Avini.
“Debasement of Words” in Media Culture
In his book Resurrection of the Soul, Martyr Avini cites the French philosopher Albert Camus on the “debasement of words.” He writes: “What we witness today is the outcome of what Camus described—words stripped of their true dignity. In media culture, no word aligns with its genuine meaning; instead, every word connotes all sorts of contradictory notions.”
United Nations Naming Days: A Case of Semantic Debauchery
Following the line of thought of that French philosopher, the UN’s naming of special days also reflects this semantic debauchery. On paper, they dedicate a day to end violence against women, with declarations like: “Any act of gender-based violence causing physical, sexual, or psychological harm to women is prohibited.” But in reality, the arms industry—created by the UN’s founders—keeps growing, fueling the war machine that claims the lives of defenseless women and girls and shatters their mental well-being.
Fighting Terrorism or Empowering Terror?
Then comes a day to fight terrorism—but on the ground, the world powers have recognized the terrorist, apartheid regime of Zionism, formed Zionist paramilitary groups in Palestine, and birthed the ominous Haganah. A group that, after the establishment of ‘Israel,’ formed the core of its army. Notably, in 1931, its prominent members—supported financially and politically by Britain—founded the organization ‘Irgun.’ With the slogan ‘Only weapons are effective,’ they played a significant role in establishing the terrorist Zionist state and in the killing and displacement of Palestinians.
The Double Standard of Terror Designations
It’s absurd: the United States creates ISIS, removes Joulani from the terrorism list, yet places Iranian commanders—who are themselves victims of terrorism and active fighters against groups like ISIS—on that list. This blatant contradiction reinforces my belief that the global community is afflicted by this semantic degradation.