[imagesource:pexels]

Acts of bold rebellion by women in Tehran continue a year on from the tragic death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who was killed while in the custody of Iran’s ‘morality police’. Her alleged crime? Not wearing her hijab ‘correctly’.

The moment of Amini’s death sparked outrage across the globe, and while some would think it would still be unthinkable to say “Screw you!” to Iranian law enforcement in 2023, the country’s women do, despite the risks.

The turning point came with the mass protests sparked by Amini’s death, the most significant challenge to Iran’s theocratic regime since the 1979 revolution. The government’s brutal response resulted in over 500 deaths, thousands wounded and the arrest of at least 20 000 Iranians. Seven protesters were executed, making citizens across the globe’s blood run cold as we watched in shock online.

The mass protests that erupted in the wake of Amini’s death eventually subsided due to a brutal government crackdown, but the anger that ignited these protests still simmers beneath the surface, and women have devised new ways to defy the restrictive regime.

It is estimated that approximately 20% of women across Iran now boldly flout the country’s strict Islamic dress code, venturing out onto the streets without a veil.

This transformation, as one 20-year-old music student living in the country’s capital describes it, reflects a newfound courage and resilience among Iranian women.

“Even though I feel scared to my bones whenever I walk past the morality police, I keep my head up and pretend I haven’t seen them. I wear what I like now when I go out.”

That being said, the student admitted to remaining cautious, explaining that she carries a headscarf in her bag in case the situation escalates.

Understandable, considering that the consequences of such defiance can be dire. Reports of rape in custody and disturbing stories of women sentenced to wash corpses as punishment for not wearing the hijab continue to circulate.

On top of the violence enacted directly upon these women’s bodies, surveillance cameras continuously monitor the streets, identifying and fining those who violate the dress code.

While the morality police seem cautious about provoking direct confrontations since the mass protests last year, forms of state control in Iran show no signs of backing down.

A new draft bill titled The Hijab and Chastity Bill proposed hefty fines and lengthy prison sentences for unveiled women in Iran. UN-appointed human rights experts have responded to the draconian bill by calling it a “form of gender apartheid”, which seems like a more-than-apt description.

Despite the regime’s continued crackdowns, extraordinary acts of quiet defiance persist. Government billboards are defaced, and slogans like “Woman, Life, Freedom” continue to reappear on walls, particularly in subway stations, one anonymous Iranian woman explained.

“The government keeps wiping them out but the slogans keep coming back.”

Many men are also joining this movement in support of women’s rights. Some men wear sleeveless clothes or shorts, defying gendered clothing norms, while others don mandatory hijabs to underscore the absurdity of such clothing restrictions.

While uncertainty looms over whether protests will be sparked again in Iran, the brave women standing up to the brutal government systems keep their fists raised high.

[source:bbc]