The frequency of women seen walking down Iranian city streets without the required headscarf, or hijab, is increasing as the second anniversary of Mahsa Amini’s death and the widespread demonstrations it provoked draw near.
The phenomenon started when Iran’s overworked electrical infrastructure had frequent power outages as the country entered its scorching summer, but neither a government official nor a study has acknowledged it. On social media, however, especially after sunset, ladies and girls can be seen strolling by with their long hair spilling over their shoulders in videos of individuals shooting neighborhood streets or simply chatting about an ordinary day in their lives.
Although there hasn’t been a recent catalyst event like Amini’s death to enliven protesters, UN investigators characterize Iran’s theocracy’s punishment of them as “expanded repressive measures and policies” that are the reason for this resistance.
Masoud Pezeshkian, the nation’s new reformist president, ran on a platform promising to end the harassment of women by morality police. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the 85-year-old Supreme Leader of the nation, is still ultimately in charge. He has previously stated that “unveiling is both religiously forbidden and politically forbidden.”
Some devout Muslim women view the head covering as a symbol of modesty while interacting with males outside of their family and of piety before God. Iran has always seen the hijab—as well as the all-encompassing black chador worn by some—as a political symbol.
A U.N. fact-finding mission on Iran was forewarned on Friday that “meaningful institutional changes and accountability for gross human rights violations and crimes under international law, and crimes against humanity, remain elusive for victims and survivors, especially for women and children.”
On September 16, 2022, Amini, 22, passed away in a hospital following her detention by the nation’s morality police for reportedly failing to wear her hijab in accordance with government regulations. The first slogan to be heard during the demonstrations after Amini’s passing was “Women, Life, Freedom.” But soon, the screams of the protestors turned into outright calls for Khamenei’s overthrow.
Following a months-long security crackdown, approximately 500 people were killed and over 22,000 were taken into custody.
People passing by on Tehran’s streets today, whether they’re in the affluent northern suburbs for the wealthy or the working-class neighborhoods of the capital’s southern reaches, now routinely see women without the hijab. It particularly starts at dusk, though even during the daylight on weekends women can be seen with their hair uncovered at major parks.
Online videos—specifically a sub-genre showing walking tours of city streets for those in rural areas or abroad who want to see life in the bustling neighborhoods of Tehran—iinclude women without the hijab.
Iran’s government is addressing the issue of women not wearing hijabs, a controversial issue that has been a topic of debate since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. The government has targeted private businesses where women are seen without their headscarves, using surveillance cameras to fine and impound their cars. The U.N. has even used aerial drones to monitor the 2024 Tehran International Book Fair and Kish Island for uncovered women.
However, some believe that the election of President Pezeshkian in July, following a helicopter crash that killed hard-line President Ebrahim Raisi, is helping ease tensions over the hijab. Prosecutor General Mohammad Movahedi Azad has warned security forces about starting physical altercations over the hijab. While the government is not directly addressing the increase in women not wearing hijabs, there are signs of recognition that the political landscape has shifted.
In August, authorities dismissed a university teacher who referred to Amini as having “croaked.” A pre-reform newspaper, Ham Mihan, reported that the hijab had become one of the most important issues in the country, a shift that has been on people’s minds more than ever before.
(AP)
