Mahsa Amini, an Iranian Kurdish girl, was arrested and brutally beaten by authorities in Tehran. Why? Because she was not wearing the hijab properly, as a few strands of hair were showing. The young girl fell into a coma and died three days later due to cardiac arrest. A life lost.
As soon as the news spread, protests began. Thousands of women and men gathered in cities like Tehran, Isfahan, Karaj, Mashhad, Rasht, Saqqes, and Sanandaj, leading to more deaths and injuries. Some cut their hair, while others even burned their hijabs in protest. Tired of being oppressed. Tired of having no say. Tired of having no choice. Tired of depending on men. The new slogan is “Woman, Life, and Freedom.”
In Iran, being a woman is challenging. It means having no freedom, neither regarding one’s body nor one’s destiny. They are obligated to wear the veil from the age of 9 and can be married off as young as 13 if their father permits it. No one seeks the woman’s approval… only the father’s.
There is also a special police force, the so-called ‘moral police,’ tasked with ensuring all women comply with the imposed dress code. According to Iran’s laws, the veil must cover the hair, clothes must be long and loose, and feet covered to conceal the body as much as possible.
Despite this news feeling distant, perhaps due to the closed mentality or the vast distance that separates us, it concerns us. We cannot stay silent. We must feel obligated to do something. Even if it’s ‘just’ sharing this story.
Mahsa Amini is one of us. She is a woman, just like us. The only difference is that we were fortunate to be born in a more liberated country.
