What’s Going on in Iran: An Overview
By: Khadija Coats
On September 13, 2022, Mahsa Amini was arrested in Tehran, Iran by Iran’s Morality Police for supposedly violating the Hijab Law, three days later, Mahsa passed away from an “underlying illness” according to Iranian authorities. The death of Masha Amini sparked lots of unrest with people globally demanding more freedom as they burned hijabs and cut their hair in solidarity.
So what is Iran’s Hijab Law and the Morality Police? Iran’s hijab law was introduced after the 1979 revolution of Iran. This law made it obligatory for all women including non-muslims and foreigners visiting Iran to wear the hijab. Under the new, religious regime a Morality Police was set up to ensure that women were correctly wearing the hijab and were dressed modestly, often harassing and attacking those who do not. As Mahsa Amini was visiting family in Tehran, she was stopped and arrested by the police for dressing improperly according to the modesty laws.
So why are people protesting, why are they chanting “Women, Life, Freedom,” and why are these protests important? After Mahsa’s death, many have gone street to street protesting to bring global attention to the ongoing events in Iran. “Women, Life, Freedom” was adopted as a slogan used by many globally to demonstrate their allyship with Iranians and their demand for their basic rights. Iranians are angry with the current state of their country and are protesting for their freedom of choice. They want democracy and vow to continue to protest until it happens. Compared to previous protests in Iran, these current protests are the first to involve all Iranians of every socioeconomic class, gender, and profession.
Hopefully, this overview has educated you on the happenings in Iran. To educate yourself further I recommend reading articles from Al Jazeera or BBC as they share many articles that go into greater detail on the current news regarding Iran.
Sources:
https://news.stanford.edu/2022/09/26/understanding-protests-iran/
https://www.npr.org/2022/09/30/1126281355/the-history-of-irans-so-called-morality-police
https://www.aljazeera.com/podcasts/2022/9/28/women-life-freedom-the-chants-of-irans-protests