Iran is being rocked by nationwide protests sparked by the death of a 22-year-old Kurdish woman, Mahsa Amini, who was arrested off the streets of Tehran by the country’s ‘morality police’ and detained in a ‘re-education center’. There, she was given lessons on modesty, Islam, and the significance of wearing the hijab (headscarf) correctly. Amini allegedly had some hair visible from under her headscarf when she was taken into custody. At the detention center, she collapsed and fell into a coma shortly after. Three days later, she died.
The Gusht-e-Ershad (Guidance Patrols) or ‘morality police’ are special police forces tasked with ensuring the respect of Islamic morals and enforcing the country’s laws regarding modesty and societal vices - this includes their strict mandatory dress code. The morality police are often criticized for their heavy-handed approach, with many women conveying accounts of beatings, threats, and many other abnormal punishments at their hands. The existence of this task force is rooted in deeply ingrained conservative ideologies, that posit an incorrectly worn headscarf, short trousers, or a brightly-colored outfit as drivers of the provocation of men.
This notion, however, is not new. The Iranian authorities’ fight against the ‘bad hijab’ began soon after the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Following the formation of the Islamic Republic, laws protecting women’s rights were gradually becoming null. Under Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini’s regime, women were not allowed to enter workplaces without the hijab. Women who were uncovered were considered ‘naked’. Resistance began immediately, with women gathering on the streets of Tehran in protest.
The fight has continued throughout the years as various governments impose further restrictions and punishments. The new crackdown came in August as President Ebrahim Raisi enacted further curtailing of women’s freedom to dress: introduction of surveillance cameras, fines, counseling, and mandatory imprisonment to women who dispute the dress code online. He posited that the hijab laws will be implemented fully and that anyone who challenges them is an enemy of Islam and Iran, as well as a threat to the country’s religious foundation and societal values. These restrictions have been met with many women posting videos of themselves without the headscarf online - something which has only been amplified since the death of Mahsa Amini.
Following Mahsa’s funeral, both male and female protesters are demanding the morality police be disbanded and thorough inquiries be held about her death. Women are chopping off their hair, removing and burning their headscarves in public and across social media. Iranian women have taken center stage, and videos of their unprecedented acts of defiance have gone viral all over the world. But, the protestors face severe security risks and persecution at the hands of Iranian authorities; with three people already killed.
The protests have sparked much political debate as well. Progressives argue that forceful impositions of the law that oppress women and deny them autonomy are in violation of the principles of both democratic liberalism and Islam. Equitable regimes extend women the right to choose. The right to practice their faith as they see fit. On the other hand, conservatives like Hasan Khomeini, grandchild of Ayatollah Khomeini, contend that the protests are unIslamic and of no benefit.
The outrage after Mahsa Amini’s death has strengthened the women’s movement in Iran - which has become an agent of change and possibly a catalyst for a broader political action. Beyond answers on Amini’s death, the people of Iran are calling for an entire reform of government. For years, they have been persistent in protesting against corruption, mismanagement, and oppressive laws. Therefore, it is evident that the protests are part of a more far-reaching narrative i.e fighting against the tyrannical, strict religious rule of the current regime.
As of now, the head of the Guidance Patrol has reportedly been suspended. At the same time, Iranian authorities have begun to implement a counter-protest strategy incorporating prevention, force, and censorship. They have also cut off internet services to suppress the protestors.
When will Iran step back from a highly repressive and destabilizing form of governance that has for years brutalized its own people? When will Iran’s regime denounce a system of arcane moral authoritarianism? Was Mahsa Amini’s death the last nail in the coffin for the Iranian people?
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