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Rabat – Following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini last week after being allegedly beaten by Iran’s morality police, thousands of Iranian women and activists, as well as activists and rights groups from around the world, have flocked social media to condemn Iran’s continuous efforts to control women’s bodies.
On September 16, converging reports stated that young Iranian woman Mahsa Amini died during coma after enduring detention and beating from the Tehran morality police for wearing an “improper hijab.”
While Iran’s state media broadcasted a video footage claiming that Amini collapsed due to a heart attack in Tehran’s detention center, activists have questioned the state’s explanation and argued instead that the officers who detained the young woman should be held accountable for her death.
Amini’s death triggered a global public uproar with Iranian women sharing video footage of themselves storming the streets in protest of Iran’s strict Hijab law which requires all females aged over nine to wear a hijab that covers their hair, neck, and shoulders. Some of the protesters have resorted to burning their hijab scarfs.
Earlier this month, the Iranian government stated that it will soon introduce biometrics technology on public transport to identify any women that do not comply with the imposed dress code.
Call for ‘Hair Revolution’
Over the past week, hashtags including #IranProtests2022 #MahsaAmini #مهسا_امینی #No2Hijab have made headlines in global media while trending on different social media platforms despite the ongoing internet shutdown imposed by the Iranian state.
On Friday, numerous media reports stated that protests have reached on their seventh day 80 Iranian cities and towns, adding that the death roll among protesters reached 31.
Despite the casualties, Iranian human rights activists have urged the public to continue the protests with the hope of creating a real change.
This Saturday, Iranian-American journalist and activist Masih Alinejad called for a “Hair Revolution.”
Alinejad, the founder of numerous activist movements in Iran, tweeted “Iranian regime killed #MahsaAmini for a bit of hair,” while urging Iranian women to remove their hijabs and show their hair in public.
She went on to add: “Let’s have a Hair Revolution. Our hair will bring down Islamic dictators.”
As many activists in Iran and abroad described the hijab as a tool of oppression by associating it with imposed laws, others have argued that women should have the freedom to choose whether to wear the hijab or not while remaining modest.
One social media user said: “Forcing hijab on a woman, just like not allowing a woman to abide by hijab, is not of Islam.” They added: “while forced modesty is not the answer being anti-modesty is not either.”
Global support, condemnation
While the Iranian women are leading protests on the ground despite the high risk of getting arrested, global social media users have been raising awareness about the situation in Iran amid an imposed internet ban which is not expected to last long.
On Friday, US State Secretary Anthony Blinken tweeted: “We took action today to advance Internet freedom and the free flow of information for the Iranian people, issuing a General License to provide them greater access to digital communications to counter the Iranian government’s censorship.”
In response to Blinken’s statement, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk vowed to activate his satellite internet service, Starlink, to provide Iranians with access to the internet.
The same day, the hacktivist community Anonymous launched Operation Iran #OpIran.
In an address to Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, Anonymous accused the country’s 44-year-old regime of “a long history of practicing cruelties towards its female population, one of which being the use of violence against women.”
The statement added: “The people of Iran are not without support. You are now surrounded and Anonymous will put an end to your dictatorship and your own people will remove you from power regardless of how powerful you think you are.”
Different Anonymous-affiliated groups have reported hacking Iranian governmental organizations, such as the Ministry of Cooperation and Social Welfare and the Central Bank of Iran.
While the Iranian government has not yet confirmed nor responded to alleged attacks from Anonymous, Iranian Foreign Minister Nasser Kanaani on Wednesday condemned “the interventionist positions of the United States and the European Union with regard to Mahsa Amini.” The top Iranian diplomat added that the US and its European allies “are famous for their long history of war-mongering and violence around the world [and] do not have the legitimacy to preach to others about human rights.”
As Iranian women persevere in their struggle to change Iran’s oppressive dress regulations, 11 journalists were taken into custody this week, says the Committee to Protect Journalists, indicating that “details of those arrested are sparse amid an internet blackout & major disruptions to phone & social media networks.”
