The arrest of 29 women in Iran for not wearing the headscarf has sparked a national protest with women waving their hijabs out of rebellion. Women all around the country have posted pictures and videos of themselves standing in public places as they waved their hijabs.
Chief Prosecutor Mohammad Jafar Montazeri stated the protests were trivial and childish moves by mostly foreigners.
The host for the website My Stealthy Freedom Masih Alinejad said, “We are fighting against the most visible symbol of oppression.” My Stealthy Freedom is a website that posts photos of Iranian women without hijabs.
Iran’s Islamic Law was imposed after the 1979 revolution. The Law forces women to wear a hijab to cover their hair and wear long loose fitting clothes. The ones who violate the law publicly are fined or arrested.
An Iranian activist was quoted saying, “These women are saying, ‘It is enough, it is the 21st century and we want to be our true selves.” On Thursday, the Iranian Police said 29 women who participated in the campaign against hijabs were arrested. The ones arrested were accused of public order offences and sent to the State prosecutor’s office.
The protests picked up momentum in December after a video of a woman waving her scarf surfaced on the internet. The women from Iran was immediately arrested by the authorities but later released.
The focus of the protest quickly broadened as people demanded Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei step down. The anti government protests eventually subsided but the women in Iran remain fed up and continue to protest against the interference of religion in their personal lives.
Religion must teach morals and not force the believers to dress a certain way. Women have been suppressed for a very long time and now it is time for a revolution, a revolution for equality.
