Most mornings, I start the day with breakfast while browsing through my Facebook newsfeed, the online versions of the Guardian, Al Jazeera, the New York Times and a handful of Iranian blogs. It was on Friday, April 22, when a friend on Facebook posted the latest ruling on the Mukhtar Mai case. I have followed Mukhtar Mai’s story since she began her courageous fight to bring justice against the men who took part in the gruesome gang rape. I have also admired Mai’s spirit in establishing her own welfare organisation to teach young women about women’s rights and gender issues. She has shown women around the world the true meaning of the word, survivor. I was utterly outraged to learn of the recent decision of her case; it felt like a stinging slap on the face of anyone who has fought for women’s rights.

On my Facebook wall, I reposted a link about the court decision. Without any effort, a conversation started among my friends, a fellow colleague at the Institute of Communication Studies, University of Leeds, Divya Maharajh and, filmmaker and psychiatrist Dr. Khaldoon Ahmed.

Me: “I am really upset about this. I hope a petition or something goes around to put pressure on Pakistan … [to] reconsider this decision.”

Divya: “I was reading about this yesterday and [feel] so frustrated for her … Sanaz, do you want to collaborate and do something for her? Perhaps circulate a petition if there isn’t one already out there?”

Me: “A petition is an excellent idea Divya. Khaldoon…would you like to join us on this?”

It did not take long for Divya to draft the initial petition. With a few edits and conversations back and forth, we finally launched the petition formally on the April 25, 2011. All it took were laptops united in a triumvirate with Divya and I in Leeds, United Kingdom and Khaldoon in Berlin, Germany. This is not a fancy multimillion-dollar charity venture a la Madonna or Bono. It is a sincere effort guided by our conviction to not stand idle to flagrant gender discrimination.

As an Iranian woman, I found many similarities of Mai’s case to the men and women in my homeland. As it has been reported in numerous articles, many Iranians have been arrested since the 2009 Iranian presidential elections which heralded a controversial second term for Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The brave women and men who took to the streets to protest the election results have been subjected to the most humiliating and vile acts while incarcerated, including brutal sexual assault and violation in the name of religion and state. Many of the women who are currently in prison post-2009 election protests, have fought valiantly against gender apartheid laws in Iran that render women to an inferior position. These horrific sexual assaults that continue to be committed in Iran’s prisons are designed, much like Mai’s case, to humiliate and silence any dissent against the regime.

When strong women like Mai speak out against misogyny, they are routinely harassed and abused whether in public or in the media. This must stop.

This is why supporting our cause is important. Like Mukhtar Mai, we will not be silenced and accept what can only be described as a degrading and unfair decision. By joining in our fight, we are sending a clear message that the world will no longer stand by idly and ignore this act of gender discrimination. We petition the Pakistan Supreme Court to “overturn the Lahore High Court decision and uphold the original verdict for the five men who were found guilty of raping Mukhtar Mai.”

Please join Divya, Khaldoon, and I along with the many others who have signed our petition. Let us all be united and support Mukhtar Mai as she continues her battle for justice.

You can follow our activism by joining our Facebook page, Bring Justice for Mukhtar Mai’s Case.

Sanaz Raji is an Institute of Communications Studies (ICS), PhD Scholar, University of Leeds, who is researching gender, sexuality and satire in the Iranian diaspora online. She previously worked for a two year European Union funded project on Arab transnational media at the London School of Economics and Political Science. She blogs for the Guardian and Iranian.com.

The views expressed by this blogger and in the following reader comments do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Dawn Media Group.