The Protests
On September 13th, 2022, a 22-year-old young woman in Iran, Mahsa Amini, was arrested for wearing her hijab incorrectly. The Iranian government has a strict policy requiring women to wear headscarves or hijabs, which symbolize modesty, morality, and privacy. The rule states that women must wear a head covering in public starting at the age of nine. The Morality Police—the widely feared enforcers of Iran’s veiling laws—arrested Amini, stating that she was improperly dressed. Amini subsequently died in police custody.
According to government standards, this could have meant Amini had a single strand of hair peeking out of her hijab. Amini was taken to a center where she would be “re-educated” on how to properly wear the hijab. However, three days later, she was found dead after being admitted into a local hospital in a coma. According to some witnesses, Amini was tortured and abused prior to her death. Since this event was popularized by the media, mass public protests have occurred throughout Iran, where women are burning headscarves, chanting phrases such as “Death to the dictator,” and cutting their hair, while some of their male counterparts join the protests by providing consistent support. This has created conflict with Iran’s traditional mindset that is rooted in fundamental religious customs of modesty versus Iranian female citizens begging for an ounce of freedom.
The Morality Police
The Morality Police are a segment of Iran’s Law Enforcement Forces that enforces standards set by Islamic Sharia Law. The five main goals of this law are to protect the peace of religious practice, life, sanity, family, and communal wealth, although the Morality Police will also ensure that women are dressed appropriately in public to respect and honor their male counterparts as well as Allah. Not only must women wear hijabs in public, but the hijab must cover all hair, not be loose, and worn traditionally.
Results of the Protests
The protests in Iran have become violent. Security forces have reacted aggressively, using shotguns, assault rifles, and handguns to kill and injure hundreds of protesters, including many women, daily. As of this writing, sixteen videos showing graphic images of police openly firing at groups of women cutting their hair have been released. As many as 400 deaths have been confirmed, 23 of which were girls under the age of ten. Claiming fear of foreign influence, Iranian authorities have cut off citizens’ access to social media and the internet, to prevent the news of protests from spreading.
Image by Shima Abedinzade from Pixabay
The Truth
Although the fight for freedom in Iran has been brought to our attention recently, the truth is that Iranian women have been fighting for freedom for 150 years. Protests have been taking place for decades, as more than half of Iran’s population disagrees with the strict religious laws. Many are fed up with women’s lack of liberty. With anger and rage, the women of Iran are demanding change. During this time, Americans should stand with Iran as thousands of individuals risk their lives daily to finally be free.
Leave a Reply