Preface
Born in Bandar Abbas to an Iranian father and a German mother, my experiences with migration, cultural diversity, and social change continue to shape me to this day.
After studying cinematography and earning a bachelor’s degree in Islamic Studies and Visual Anthropology, my path led me above all to people and places where solidarity is put into practice.
While traveling and in various social and political contexts, I encountered self-organized initiatives, grassroots movements, and community projects. I was particularly impressed by women and communities who, through their own efforts, create spaces of care, self-empowerment, and solidarity.
Drawing on this experience, I founded the grassroots organization Flamingo in Berlin in 2015 Grassroots-Organisation Flamingo to support refugee women and children.
I am fascinated by places where people take responsibility for one another, share knowledge, and develop new perspectives together—whether in community gardens, women’s villages, or regions being rebuilt after war and displacement.
Through “Women in Solidarity,” I aim to bring these inspiring projects to light. In personal travel stories, I share accounts of encounters, courage, and solidarity in action—and invite you to learn about and support these often-overlooked initiatives.
Enjoy reading,
Anuscheh Amir-Khalili
About the illustrator:
May Franzen (1998) is a visual artist, illustrator and activist working at the intersection of art, book design and ecological storytelling. Having grown up in St. Gallen, Switzerland, she developed a close relationship with animals and nature at an early age – shaped by many hours spent drawing and quietly observing non-human life. These experiences form the basis of a practice rooted in attentiveness, care and political witnessing.
About the cover image:
The cover features a fragment of a 17th-century Caucasian dragon carpet that was damaged during a bombing raid on the Pergamon Museum in World War II.
As part of the “Cultural x Collabs – Weaving the Future” project, a new, complete carpet was created in 2022 by a collective of Indian women. Its 100 fragments traveled around the world, telling stories of connections, histories, and experiences that people share across borders.
This image symbolizes “Women in Solidarity”: communities that strengthen one another, share knowledge, and create new spaces for care and self-empowerment. Like the fragments of a tapestry, the projects presented here are interconnected—they grow, inspire, and support one another.
The artist May Franzen translated the fragment into her own painterly language. By layering lines and transparent layers of paint, she creates a network of visual “knots” reminiscent of a tapestry’s structure.
For her, these connections symbolize the many humanitarian and feminist grassroots movements worldwide: independent initiatives that, together, unleash greater power. Thus, the image becomes a visualization of solidarity—diverse, vibrant, and interwoven.
https://islamic-art.smb.museum/en/story/cxc_fragment_76