By: Hasan Belgaumi, a HISTOYOUTH Writer
Laws are fluid. While they may be enshrined in a constitution or respected by the general public, they evolve alongside society. In almost all instances, as society progresses, laws are relaxed, restrictions are eased, and new freedoms are enjoyed.
Laws are targeted. As the saying goes, they’re there ‘for a reason’. While a law may not explicitly target a specific group, they’re targeting something, whether it be a specific situation or a specific group of institutions. There is always an intention behind them.
Laws reflect values. Whether it be a reflection of societal values or values of the past, there is some intention, some moral reason behind them. While some laws represent the wants and needs of the current population, many reflect ideas and values
At the moment, the world’s attention is focused on the current uprising in Iran. Images and videos shared on social media depict scenes of hair cutting and hijab burning, as well as the Iranian government's hostile response. The compulsory hijab for women in Iran is a law that represents the values and ideas of the minority but is imposed on the majority. It is a law, based on strict Islamic interpretation, that has failed to evolve into the modern lives of young Iranian women. Like a species that fails to adapt to its new habitat, when a law fails to adapt to modern values, it's bound to die out one way or another.
The Iranian government enforces its mandatory hijab law by issuing the "morality police" to monitor women in public and detain those who fail to comply. The hijab, an Islamic headscarf, was made compulsory for women following the end of the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran.
Iran’s Islamic Revolution, or the Iranian Revolution, was the uprising that led to the fall of the Pahlavi Dynasty, under Shah Reza Pahlavi. The Shah, who had absolute political control in the country, was effectively a dictator, and his critics were brutally silenced. The Shah also westernised Iran, embracing western culture and tradition. Tehran, the Iranian capital, was once said to be the ‘Paris of the East’. The Shah also embraced western values in the traditionally Islamic country. Pre-revolutionary Tehran was a liberal center for fashion, commerce, and culture. Women could be seen on the streets wearing miniskirts, and alcohol could be found in restaurants. Iran was effectively a western society.
However, as the Shah’s repression increased in the 1970s, resistance began to simmer. The build-up to the Iranian Revolution and the Revolution itself is a complex one. But in the end, exiled Islamic cleric Ayatollah Khomeini returned to Iran as Shia Islamic fundamentalists formed the Islamic Republic of Iran. In the new Islamic republic, traditional Islamic values were codified into law, such as a ban on alcohol and, most notably, a new modest dress code for both men and women. Men are forbidden from wearing sleeveless shirts or shorts in public. Meanwhile, women must dress modestly and wear a hijab, an Islamic head covering, in public. While there was resistance to these new laws imposed by the new Islamic government, no attempts were successful in restoring the freedom of choice in pre-revolutionary Iran.
On September 16, 2022, Mahsa Amini passed away while in the custody of the Iranian morality police. The police deny that she suffered any harm during her time in custody and insist that she died from a heart attack. However, the lawyer defending the Amini family claims that "respectable doctors" believe she was beaten in custody. Mahsa Amini’s father claimed her legs were bruised and has openly blamed the police for his daughter's death.
This incident is not an isolated one. Women have been subjected to harassment, even for simple offenses such as a hijab sitting too low on the head, or having one’s hijab accidentally slip off. Mahsa Amini’s death has led to a large-scale protest. Women in Iran are burning their hijabs and cutting their hair in public. This has become a movement to show the public rejection of the policy of compulsory hijab. Iranian men and women are outraged and have directed their protests at the government and specifically the morality police, whom they see as responsible for Mahsa’s death. The incident has also called into question discrimination against Iran’s minority and the intersectional struggle of minority Iranian women. Amini was Kurdish, a minority ethnic group found in Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey.
The protests in Iran have seen support from those worldwide. A Turkish singer cut her hair off onstage in solidarity with the women of Iran. Many famous French actresses have also cut their hair in support of the movement. Public hair cutting and hijab-burning have become symbols of resistance in Iran and a symbol of solidarity outside of the country.
Over a month after Mahsa Amini’s death, protests have continued in the country and only intensified. Iran’s state news network has failed to report on the true scale of the protests, but video and images shared on social media show their true scale. These protests are the biggest challenge faced by the Islamic regime in years, as they represent a major societal shift in the traditionally conservative society.
The Iranian people’s predicament is a tale as old as time. A law that is outdated and repressive in the minds of Iran’s new generation. The Islamic fundamentalist government continues to defend their enforcement of the hijab law, but the people of Iran seek freedom. This fundamentalist Islamic law, which has refused to evolve with the values of modern Iran, may be the spark to the flame for an easing of government restrictions in the name of religion, or perhaps, the beginning of the end for the outdated Islamic government.
References
Afary, Janet. “Iranian Revolution.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., https://www.britannica.com/event/Iranian-Revolution.
Bajec, Alessandra. “The Double Discrimination Faced by Kurdish Women in Iran.” The New Arab, The New Arab, 6 Oct. 2022, https://english.alaraby.co.uk/analysis/double-discrimination-faced-kurdish-women-iran.
“How Iran State TV Tries to Control Story of Protests.” Edited by Suniti Singh, BBC News, BBC, 17 Oct. 2022, https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-middle-east-63258084.
“Iranian Coroner Denies Mahsa Amini Died from Blows to Body.” News | Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera, 7 Oct. 2022, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/10/7/iranian-coroner-denies-mahsa-amini-died-from-blows-to-body.
Mostaghim, Ramin, and Shashank Bengali. “Iran's Latest Culture Battle: Should Women in Cars Keep Their Heads Covered?” Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 19 July 2017, https://www.latimes.com/world/middleeast/la-fg-iran-cars-hijab-2017-story.html.
Parks, Cara. “Once upon a Time in Tehran.” Foreign Policy, Foreign Policy, 16 Feb. 2012, https://foreignpolicy.com/slideshow/once-upon-a-time-in-tehran/.
Rahimpour, Rana. “Fury in Iran as Young Woman Dies Following Morality Police Arrest.” BBC News, BBC, 16 Sept. 2022, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-62930425.
Rahimpour, Rana. “Iran Grapples with Most Serious Challenge in Years.” BBC News, BBC, 23 Sept. 2022, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-63006664.
Suliman, Adela. “French Actresses Cut Their Hair in Solidarity with Iranian Women.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 6 Oct. 2022, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/10/06/mahsa-amini-protest-iran-french-actress-hair/.
“Turkish Singer Melek Mosso Cuts Hair on Stage in Solidarity with Iranian Women.” The Siasat Daily, Indo-Asian News Service, 29 Sept. 2022, https://www.siasat.com/turkish-singer-melek-mosso-cuts-hair-on-stage-in-solidarity-with-iranian-women-2423675/.
Image Sources
Garry Knight from London, England, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/12/Mahsa_Amini_Protest_1_%2852375008086%29
Voice of America, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/75/Mahsa_Amini_protest_in_New_York.png
https://zeitoons.com, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b8/1979_Iranian_Women_Day%27s_protests_against_Hijab.jpg
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