Iran: A revolutionary act to walk down the street without a veil

A woman walks down a popular street in Tehran with head held high and hair in the air, without islamic veilin the revolutionary act of the Ayatollahs in Iran to protest the death of Mahsa Amini and uphold women’s rights.

“I do this for my dead sisters,” says the 35-year-old woman, who prefers not to be named for security reasons.

“It’s my way of protesting,” adds this private company administrator and owner of long brown hair.

The woman refers to the protests that have rocked Iran for a month since the death Amini September 16, after being arrested three days earlier by the vice police for improperly wearing a veil, one of the symbols of Islamic Republic.

The protests have evolved as the authorities have responded, moving from medium-sized mobilizations in dozens of cities to protests at universities and colleges, and are now more focused on small, sporadic and dispersed concentrations.

There are also protesters shouting “death to the dictator” from the windows of houses at night, referring to the supreme leader of Iran, Ali Khameneior horns through the streets.

And many women at the protests walk around the city without a veil, with their hair uncovered, as they explained. ef several young women.

dangerous gesture

This is not a trivial gesture, on the contrary, according to the Iranian Penal Code, women who do not cover up in public face jail time and fines.

The veil has been mandatory in Iran since 1983, shortly after the revolution led by Ayatollah Rukhola. Khomeini in 1979, who stated that women were “naked” without these clothes.

As such, the administration decided to stop hiding its hair to express its opposition to the death of 22-year-old Amini, as well as other young women killed in the protests such as Nika Shakarami, 17, and Sarina Esmailzade, 16, according to complaints. from their families.

He also does this to show his opposition to the strict dress code that Iranian law imposes on women the “rough” treatment they are subjected to.

Five years ago, she says, the vice police arrested her on the street for not wearing the veil properly and she was taken to the police station, where she was signed with front and profile pictures and attended “education” classes . .”, where the woman released “profanity” at them, she recalls.

“I felt like a criminal,” she says.

After that, he decided to continue pushing the boundaries of what was permitted in terms of clothing and try to escape from the vice police.

“If I see them on the same side of the street, I cross. It has worked for me so far,” he says.

Looking for freedom

Administrative work is not unique. On the streets of Tehran, women do the same, showing their anger in a special way.

“I take off my veil to show my anger,” she says. ef another young woman who also prefers to remain anonymous.

This is also happening on social media, where many young women are defying authorities with photos of themselves revealing their hair.

“For the first time I walk around my city without a hijab,” a girl recently wrote on Twitterwhere he uploaded an image from behind showing his ponytail.

“Woman, life, freedom,” he adds, thus using the motto of the protests that have rocked the Persian country over the past month, led mainly by young people and especially women.

Other young women have gone even further and stand unveiled in front of the security forces, actions they later share on social media.

This is the case of a young woman without a veil and with a ponytail, who has four police officers walking in front of her and making a victory sign in an image shared by the group. 1500tasvir And it went viral.

The protests are mostly led by young men and women shouting “woman, life, freedom” and they are committing gestures of defiance that were unthinkable until recently, such as burning veils.

All this despite the repression of the security forces, who resorted to live ammunition, according to the UN.

More than 100 dead and thousands detained

The Oslo-based NGO Iranian Human Rights recorded 108 deaths as a result of the protests, including 23 minors, and thousands were arrested.

While young women are calling for more freedoms and an end to the Islamic Republic, Iranian authorities accuse foreign countries of fueling protests, learning to make Molotov cocktails, or paying protesters.

“The only solution is to stand firm,” Khamenei said recently, referring to “small disturbances.”

But the young women say they will continue to protest.

“I think we should protest because otherwise it will never end,” he said. ef a young woman who attends the protests and also refuses the veil. (EFE)