Добавить новость
smi24.net
News in English
Сентябрь
2022

Why Iranian women are risking everything by burning their hijabs 

0
Vox 
A picture obtained by AFP shows a demonstrator raising their arms and making the victory sign during a protest in Tehran for Mahsa Amini, on September 19, 2022.  | AFP via Getty Images

Iran is in revolt.

It was not an isolated incident of police violence in Iran. But the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody last week has captured the country’s attention.

Amini was visiting the capital of Tehran, coming from the Kurdish province in the country’s northwest, and Iran’s so-called morality police detained her, allegedly for wearing the mandatory headscarf improperly. Several hours after entering police custody, she was in a coma. She died two days later. Iranian police claimed she died after a stroke and suffering cardiac arrest, but witnesses say she died after sustaining blows to the head, and shocking photos that spread online of Amini intubated in a hospital have galvanized the nation.

Protesters have since taken to the streets in more than 50 cities across Iran. Authorities reportedly have killed as many as 36 people during demonstrations. The government has also restricted the internet, so the complete picture may not be available. But the growing arrests of human rights defenders, activists, and journalists are particularly troubling.

Demonstrators have defied the repressive government regularly in the past several years, often expressing economic grievances. Women have been central to Iranian politics of resistance since the 1979 revolution, and before. What’s different about these protests is the diversity of people out on the streets and the widespread nature of Iranian resistance, in cities big and small.

The government may weather the emerging movement. Or Amini’s tragedy could prove to be Iran’s Mohamed Bouazizi — the Tunisian street-seller who self-immolated in December 2010 and helped catalyze the mass protests across the Middle East and North Africa that came to be the Arab Spring.

Across the country, protesters are chanting, “Woman, Life, Freedom.” Those words have resonated deeply because they’re affirmative and unifying, says University of Sussex professor Kamran Matin. “This triangular slogan is uniting different strands of discontent in Iran,” he told me. “This slogan has united every section of Iranian society which has some sort of grievance against the government.”

Why Iranian women are burning headscarves

In response to Amini’s death, Iranians are demanding an end to mandatory hijab laws and burning the scarves in powerful displays of refusal. In Tehran, they have been chanting, “We don’t want forced hijab.”

That’s connected to the police’s purported reason for detaining Amini, but the act of protest carries multiple meanings. Negar Mottahedeh, a professor of gender and feminist studies at Duke University, likened the images of Iranian women burning their headscarves to the bra-burning of the 1960s. Bra-burning meant many things at once: an expression of feminism and liberation, but also a broader rejection of the Vietnam War and of capitalism. Similarly, the images from demonstrations across Iran over the last week object to compulsory veiling and the morality police, but also against a paranoid, controlling state that has sought to police women’s bodies.

Getty Images
People gather in protest against the death of Mahsa Amini along the streets on September 19, 2022, in Tehran, Iran.

The so-called morality police, an independent unit that has been around since 1979, don’t only enforce headscarves but a variety of regulations, including mixed-gender gatherings and prohibitions against drinking alcohol. During the late 1990s when Mohammad Khatami was president, Iran instituted a number of reforms, but his successor, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, reversed these. The current president, Ebrahim Raisi, a conservative, has maintained such restrictions and emboldened officials to clamp down. Authorities in Iran take it upon themselves to interpret the codes, and enforcement can be arbitrary and violent.

Human rights researchers note that the morality police in the past few months have resorted to violence more frequently.

Even if the protests don’t immediately result in transformative change, they’ve forever changed the debate on compulsory hijab in Iran, says Tara Sepehri Far, a researcher at Human Rights Watch. “There’s no going back,” she told me. “Yes, police can pretend this never happened. But it did happen. Women took off their headscarves, walked down the street, and the debate has moved forward.”

The boldness of Iranian women in the face of a police state has been one of the enduring dynamics of the country’s street politics. “From the very beginning of the revolution in 1979, women were at the forefront. They were walking shoulder to shoulder with men in front of tanks and guns, and they were seeking a different kind of government, an anti-imperialist, anti-capitalist government,” Mottahedeh told me.

The 1979 revolution overthrew a corrupt, US-backed dictator and brought together a disparate opposition, including leftist and Islamic groups. But the political faction that took power after the revolution succeeded, which still rules today, began to implement religious-based laws that discriminated against women.

Christine Spengler/Sygma via Getty Images
Women in the streets of Iran during the May 1, 1979, demonstration.
Stephanie Keith/Getty Images
People hold up a photo of Iranian woman Mahsa Amini as they participate in a protest against Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi outside of the United Nations on September 21, 2022, in New York City.

Mottahedeh emphasizes that many of the initiatives of the country’s first supreme leader, the late Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, in the immediate post-1979 moment were about controlling women’s bodies, their careers (excluding them from being judges, for example), and their appearance. Back then, some of the first revolts against the revolutionary government were about the right to abortion, the right to divorce, and the right for a wife to have a say about who her husband’s second wife was going to be.

Despite severe restrictions, women have continued to push back. “It’s really important to focus on women’s resistance and resilience inside of Iran, and not see them as victims,” says Sussan Tahmasebi, executive director of the human rights organization Femena. “Iranian women — even though they deal with a lot of discriminatory laws, structural and legal discrimination — they have always taken every opportunity to advance their lives.”

Another important element of the ongoing mobilization relates to Amini’s Kurdish identity. The Iranian government has, over the years, painted Kurdish activists as separatists seeking to delegitimize the Iranian state. But now with demonstrations so dispersed across the country, the Kurdish minority’s prominence in the protests may reflect the fact that Iranians are becoming more sensitive toward the injustices inflicted upon the ethnic and sectarian minorities in the country. The national character of the protests that elevate the life of a young Kurdish woman provides crucial recognition of their plight.

Matin, who studies Iranian and Kurdish politics, noted that the slogan “Woman, Life, Freedom” originates from Syrian Kurdistan. “The Kurds have always led the way in resistance against what I would describe, even in kind of scientific terms, as a semi-fascist state,” he said.

What’s next for an Iran in revolt

The demonstrations come at a time when the socioeconomic conditions in Iran are extremely tenuous, with a large portion of Iranian society impoverished. This is partly because of the impact of US sanctions over the Iran nuclear program, as well as the broader global economic conditions and the fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic. The country’s economic troubles are likely to persist without a return to the Iran nuclear deal. Then-President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew the US from the deal in 2018, and obstacles to its revival remain frozen despite diplomacy between the Biden administration, Iran, and world powers, leaving intact intensive economic sanctions on Iran. And without the money to address Iranians’ underlying grievances, the state is likely to flex its strength to deter social unrest.

Ali Vaez, an analyst with International Crisis Group, grew up in Iran and has been taken with the images of boys and girls fighting back against government forces. “These are scenes that were unimaginable 10 years ago, 20 years ago,” he told me. “This is a society that the Islamic Republic clearly is no longer able to control. With repression, they might be able to buy time, but they are not going to be able to address the underlying drivers of these protests.”

It’s impossible to know whether the protests will carry on and grow, as they have in the 2017-18 economic protests or the massive 2009 Green Movement protests, led by a presidential candidate at the time. One thing that’s certain is that protests in Iran are becoming more frequent, says Vaez, which shows the degree of discontent. “We used to see this kind of outburst of public ire once a decade in Iran,” he told me. “Now it’s becoming every other year, basically, and it’s becoming more ferocious, more violent.”

The demonstrations appear to be a spontaneous movement. But a leaderless revolt is also by extension disorganized. That may make it less likely for the movement to grow beyond a street movement into something that can transform Iranian policy and governance.

Two enduring forces also stand in the way of political change: a geriatric supreme leader who is completely averse to change, heading a regime that is willing to deploy brute force against its people. (By coincidence, the protests began the same day as news broke about Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s ill health and as the conservative President Ebrahim Raisi has left the country for the United Nations General Assembly in New York.) The discontent in the state and its crisis of legitimacy has been on display since the low voter turnout in the presidential election won by Raisi last year.

Now, the Iranian authorities are arresting activists, organizers, and students. “What concerns me is the escalation of the crackdown — they’re going to try to really force the protests to die down,” said Sepehri Far.

Such a brutal response to the mass protests will further expose the brittleness of the Iranian government. “It reflects the total incapacity of a political system to listen to its own population,” Vaez told me. “So there is a clear divide between state and society in the country — there is no doubt about it. But this is a system that still has the will and a fearsome capacity to repress.”








Интересные каналы в Telegram. Лучшие каналы в Telegram.

Стало известно, сколько потратил Лепс на отдых с молодой женой

Лео Канделаки и Анжелика Стубайло сыграют в новую трэвел-игру «Кто куда» на ТНТ

Раздвигая горы - к единству и созиданию! Манифест лезгинского народа (письменное обращение, воззвание программного характера)


The Best Story Of Chicago Bulls’ Offseason Just Got A Happy Ending

The founder of Deliciously Ella started a blog when suffering from severe chronic pain. Now, her multimillion-dollar snack empire is going global

Tourism is increasing over prepandemic levels, overwhelming popular destinations

Why Juventus spent 111m this summer for only one new player


Тёплый рассвет в Турчасово

Интересные каналы в Telegram. Лучшие каналы в Telegram.

В Курске погиб 36-летний мотоциклист

В Курске потушили пожар в квартире на проспекте Дериглазова


Microsoft warns of 'active attacks' on its government and business server tech, with one cybersecurity expert claiming that they should 'assume that you have been compromised'

Настройки GameHub и Winlator для игры в Prey (2017) на Android

Bungie promises to fix Destiny 2's new metroid-style morph ball as it makes players sick and glitches out on ultrawide monitors

The dairy industry would like Gen Z to drink more milk, so they made a Fortnite diner tycoon game



Аудиосказки про Турбозавров теперь на Яндекс Музыке!

Студия Лебедева запустила образовательный проект, в котором заказчики сами создают свой дизайн

Кайрат Бермуканов поддержал Петра Яна перед боем в Абу‑Даби

Летняя школа Русского дома приняла детей из Карабаха


Нам есть чем гордиться: каким будет Национальный центр «Россия» на Краснопресненской набережной

Лео Канделаки и Анжелика Стубайло сыграют в новую трэвел-игру «Кто куда» на ТНТ

Хаски на Summer Sound – выиграй билеты на Like FM

Врач Конрахин посоветовал взять в аэропорт коврик и подушку


После вспышки инфекции на теплоходе «Леонид Красин» начали расследование

Ведущие девелоперы и проектировщики обсудят «дорожные вопросы» в Москве

В Подмосковье отметили вклад сотрудников спецподразделения Росгвардии в патриотическое воспитание молодёжи

Путин назвал Ирину Подносову профессионалом высочайшего класса


Соболенко сохраняет первое место в чемпионской гонке WTA.

Потапова не прошла во второй раунд турнира в Вашингтоне.

Рублев прокомментировал вылет с турнира в Лос-Кабосе

«Саша забрал корону». ATP отреагировал на триумф Александра Бублика


После вспышки инфекции на теплоходе «Леонид Красин» начали расследование

Утром будет сюрприз: в ГАИ объяснили, почему с 23 июля нельзя ставить машину во дворе дома

Россия и Беларусь расширяют научно-техническое сотрудничество на уровне Академий наук

Как быстро систематизировать бизнес: инструменты и сервис ABR PRO


Музыкальные новости

Полина Гагарина открыла официальную часть VK Fest в Москве

Флигель усадьбы Шаляпина внесли в реестр объектов культурного наследия столицы

Гагарина, ASTI, Лазарев. Москва встречает грандиозный музыкальный фестиваль

VK Fest 2025 побил рекорд по числу артистов и вошёл в Книгу рекордов России


Аудиосказки про Турбозавров теперь на Яндекс Музыке!

Студия Лебедева запустила образовательный проект, в котором заказчики сами создают свой дизайн

Кайрат Бермуканов поддержал Петра Яна перед боем в Абу‑Даби

Летняя школа Русского дома приняла детей из Карабаха


В Пулково перенаправили 22 летевших в Москву авиарейса

Россияне рассказали, по каким критериям выбирают квартиру для покупки в 2025 году

Кайрат Бермуканов поддержал Петра Яна перед боем в Абу‑Даби

Гафин: предпосылок для возвращения Захаряна в «Динамо» немного


Рискнул на 100 тысяч рублей: инженер из Смоленска купил более 1,7 тысячи лотерейных билетов и выиграл автомобиль от «Национальной Лотереи» и РОЛЬФ на VK Fest

Зарядки для электромобилей «Энергия Москвы» станут платными

25 июля пилотажная группа "Звезда" пролетит над пробками на шоссе под Москвой

Москвичей предупредили о задержках наземного транспорта из-за ливня


Нам есть чем гордиться: каким будет Национальный центр «Россия» на Краснопресненской набережной

Министр юстиции поделился информацией о роли адвокатов в специальной военной операции.

Путин выразил соболезнования семье председателя Верховного суда Подносовой

Путин отметил победу синхрониста Мальцева на чемпионате мира в Сингапуре.




После вспышки инфекции на теплоходе «Леонид Красин» начали расследование

Собянин: создание 5 центров женского здоровья завершат в этом году

«Я на инвалидном кресле, он на «Тесле»: что случилось с блогером Мариш Мариш

Уже не крепкий орешек: как Брюс Уиллис живет с неизлечимой болезнью


В центре Киева митингуют против реформ Зеленского

«СТРАНА.ua»: Зеленский раскритиковал ЕС за непредоставление обещанной помощи

Пока вы не уснули: открытая поддержка Алиевым Киева и «подзатыльник» Зеленскому от Трампа


В Москве впервые пройдет фестиваль экстремальных видов спорта

Уже 59 орловчан решили побороться за просветительскую награду «Знание. Премия»

Кайрат Бермуканов поддержал Петра Яна перед боем в Абу‑Даби

KENGURU GAMES в Звенигороде звенели на всю страну


Куда Лукашенко хочет пристроить лишних дипломатов

Посланник Трампа рассказал, как «неформально» договаривался с Лукашенко: после нескольких тостов Минск освободил политзаключенных

Юрист Трампа Коул рассказал, как пил водку с Лукашенко в Минске

Лукашенко призвал белорусских нефтяников «не раскачиваться, а бурить и бурить»


Собянин: Модернизация двух корпусов ГКБ имени Вересаева завершится в этом году

Собянин рассказал, как город заботится о природе при строительстве метро

Собянин: Продолжаем внедрять новый стандарт заботы о женском здоровье в одном месте

Более 800 спортивных площадок обновят и обустроят в Москве - Сергей Собянин


Уже 59 орловчан решили побороться за просветительскую награду «Знание. Премия»

Фестиваль «Сады и цветы»: как Москву превращают в городской оазис

Зарядки для электромобилей «Энергия Москвы» станут платными

Экономист оценил экологический и финансовый ущерб от пластиковых пакетов


Путин назвал Ирину Подносову профессионалом высочайшего класса

Ливень в Москве стал одним из сильнейших на планете по обилию осадков за сутки

Россия и Беларусь расширяют научно-техническое сотрудничество на уровне Академий наук

Утром будет сюрприз: в ГАИ объяснили, почему с 23 июля нельзя ставить машину во дворе дома


В Башкирии ревнивец ранил жену шампуром и сдался полиции

Центр подготовки личного состава Северо-Западного округа Росгвардии пополнили призывники

Республика Алтай вошла в десятку регионов России по развитию ипотеки

Девочка упала при посадке на теплоход в порту Архангельска


Поезда в Крым и из Крыма следуют с задержками до пяти часов

Поезда "Таврия" по-прежнему задерживаются из-за ЧП в Ростовской области

В Симферополе на базе «Клинического госпиталя для ветеранов войн» функционирует гериатрический центр для пожилых людей с возрастными нарушениями

В Симферополе наградили юных крымчан за отвагу и решительность


Россия и Беларусь расширяют научно-техническое сотрудничество на уровне Академий наук

Ксения Бородина не захотела выходить на одну красную дорожку с Собчак

Лицемерная политика многовекторности. "Улыбается всем": Эрдоган в обход Москвы готов дружить с Баку

В столичном метро начали тестировать нейросеть-диктора














СМИ24.net — правдивые новости, непрерывно 24/7 на русском языке с ежеминутным обновлением *