Iranian Women in Protest

Post by Pardis Asadi Zeidabadi (Visiting Lecturer, Sociology/Criminology at City)

On 16 September 2022, Mahsa Amini, a 22 years old Kurdish woman from the Saqeez city of Iran, died whilst in taken to custody by the ‘morality police’ for wearing her hijab too loosely.

Her death ignited not only protest in Iran, but also around the world. Women in Iran and worldwide have been taking a stand against this issue and have been cutting their hair to show their solidarity with Iranian protesters. As women suffer from variety of legal inequalities in Iran, these protestors are calling for reform to women’s rights including the right to choose to wear hijabs. For more information read here. 

While its patriarchal system have origins beyond a specific religion, the Iranian state and their patriarchal understanding of sharia identifies women as in need of protection and dependent upon men. Iranian women are thus controlled not only by men, but also by the state. 

It is important to mention that these protests are not about religion, but rather they are aimed to address ways in which the state controls women’s bodies. There are many Muslim/Non-Muslim women and men who stand in solidarity with Iranian women and advocate their rights. They stand by Iranian women and speak the slogan of “Women, Life, Freedom” across the globe. 

On an international level, numerous academics, researchers and celebrities including actors, actresses, film directors, and athletes have all condemned this violence against women and called for gender equality. 

Global pressure to expand rights for women in Iran, alongside the diversity existing in this movement (including men, women, and celebrities across the globe) have turned it into one of the most significant women’s movements in recent history. Responding to injustice and discrimination against women that have occurred in Iran and across the globe, it tells us that women’s issues should be seen as a focal point of political change and policy makers around the world. Their voices cannot be marginalised anymore. 

Technology enables us to participate and actively take part in different movements across the world and to condemn injustice. This participation and resistance contributes to the response to any violence and means it has a greater impact.