On September 16th, 2022, in Iran, Mahsa Amini died in custody of the morality police after being arrested for wearing her hijab too loosely. Since her death, protesters have flooded the streets all over the world, but especially in Iran, demanding an end to violence and discrimination against women. Protests are still ongoing in Iran, where many people have been arrested simply because they are protesting.
Women in Iran are also fighting for the right to choose whether to wear their hijab. It is currently required for all women in Iran and Afghanistan. The Islam religion requires women to wear the garment. The purpose of the hijab is to remain modest and private from males who are not related to them. Many women in Iran and Afghanistan feel as though they should not be forced to wear this when they don’t want to.
Mahsa Amini’s death has almost sent people over the edge, igniting a revolution against the Iranian government. The main goal of these protests is to spark change, to make the world a more equal place for current and future generations. The Iranian government, however, is highly opposed to this uprising, and has put restrictions in place to try and stop the protesters. Over 100 people have been killed and hundreds more arrested. The government has also cut off internet and mobile connectivity in an effort to try and stop the protests.
Recently, the UN (United Nations) called for an investigation on the government's harsh methods to try and stop the peaceful protests. UN leaders “call on the authorities to respect women’s rights and to eliminate all forms of discrimination … and implement effective measures to protect them from other human rights violations”. These statements were released by the UN before September 25th, 2022, and there has been no change as of yet.
While Mahsa Amini’s death is the direct cause of the major protesting that is happening, this is something that has been due for a long time. Women fighting for their right to choose to wear a hijab, fighting for basic human rights is not something that should be happening in 2022, but governments like that of Iran are preventing women from having those fundamental rights. For the most part, we in America take these freedoms for granted, but ask yourself, how would you fight for change if your basic human rights were being persecuted by your government?
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