Protests in Iran: A Month of Agony for Women's Rights
Photos taken at a protest at London's Piccadilly Circus against mandatory hijab in Iran.
On the 13th of September, 22 year-old Mahsa Amini fell into a coma whilst being detained by Iran’s morality police. She died three days later. Witnesses claim she was beaten to death before being sent to the detention centre; the police claim she had a heart attack once she arrived. She was arrested for breaking the strict dress code that requires all women to cover their hair when in public. Protests erupted in support of Amini, and in defiance of the law, which many oppose. a
Over a month later, women in Iran are still risking their lives to protest Amini’s death, and the law that permitted it. Brutal crackdowns have followed, with reports of Iranian security forces firing into crowds and beating protestors to death with batons. Recent figures suggest that over 200 people have now been killed. As the protests move into their sixth week, the strength of the Iranian people compels one to think that more than a policy change is afoot.
The policy in question became law in 1979, following the Iranian Revolution. The revolution overthrew the Shah, an oppressive autocratic leader who was put in power and supported by the US and its allies. The Shah upheld western standards and was bent to the will of the US, which was met with disapproval from many Iranian people who saw Westernisation as a ‘plague.’ In January 1978, the opposition movement held inflamed protests in defiance of the Shah, lasting a year and eventually culminating in a revolution. Women played a large role in the revolutionary force, taking up mostly non-violent roles such as medical assistance and mobilising politically averse Iranians.
The revolution founded the Islamic Republic of Iran, which created both a theological and autocratic state. One of the key changes following the political upheaval was the implementation of Islamic law, also known as Sharia law, which repealed many of the rights women had become accustomed to, including being allowed to show their hair in public.
Iran has a persistently low score on the Democracy Index and is well known for its anti-democratic policies, such as restrictions on free speech. Despite this, protests surrounding women’s dress regulations have existed since the introduction of these laws. In Tehran 1979, women took to the streets to celebrate International Women’s Day, however the march quickly turned into a protest against mandatory hijab requirements. This lasted for six days and forced the government to temporarily remove the policy. Restrictions became more fierce following this, with the 1980s seeing the punishment of seventy lashes being introduced for women who did not wear a veil in public, which has now been revoked.
In the 21st Century, political activism has become much more common. In 2005, 2009, 2017, and 2019 major protests erupted over political and economic policy, with the Islamic rule of law becoming a major issue each and every time. In all cases the movements grew incredibly quickly, sweeping the nation with violence and posing a huge threat to the Iranian regime. They were all met with an unrelenting force and squashed.
This time, things seem different. No major protest in Iran has been led by women in the 21st Century before, and none have garnered this much support. A song that has become the anthem of these protests was posted on social media by a popular Iranian singer, Shervin Hajipour, titled ‘Baraye,’ meaning ‘For.’ Hajipour was arrested, forced to take down the post, and later released unharmed, but the damage was already done. The song expresses open support for women’s rights in Iran and its solemnity harnessed the mood of the nation, giving Iranians a collective voice.
Although the backlash in this instance has been just as severe in the past, men and women alike have refused to give up. At night students shout from their balconies, wearing face masks so they cannot be identified. Cries of “women, life, freedom” have filled the streets every evening, with women’s voices drowning out those of mens.
Through the realm of social media the rest of the world has been witness to the frightening events Iranians have witnessed these past few weeks. Many women in the West have even taken to social media, posting videos of themselves cutting their own hair to support the women in Iran. But the ferocity and tenacity with which Iranians are risking their lives is something that can no longer be described as brave or inspiring, but a fight for survival. Iranian women have shown us all they are not victims of an oppressive rule; they are humans, pushed to an extreme under which life is no longer tenable, let alone enjoyable.
Women in Iran have reached a breaking point. Years of civil unrest and brutal discrimination have built an army of outrage that now defies gender. The memory of Mahsa Amini lives on through these protests—a life that was cut far too short.