Iranian resistance is not a new thing. For the longest time, the hijab law was a symbol of the control the Islamic Republic had over its people. Since the hijab law was put into effect in 1981, Iranian women have been unapologetically uncovering their hair inch by inch. Most recently, a female engineer by the name of Zeinab Kazempour attended a convention, but without a hijab. She took the stage, microphone in hand, and bravely condemned the oppressive laws. After walking off the stage, she flung her scarf from her neck and to the ground, letting it rest at the picture of the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The 2021 Election brought along president Ebrahim Raisi who enformed the hijab law more vehemently, fined women, arrested them, and even beat them. In September 2022, Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian woman died in the custody of the country’s morality police. Immediately after, protests broke out in the streets and 4 protestors were executed. Still, the people persisted. Ignited with anger, they shouted “death to the dictator,” sprayed graffiti on the walls, and burned government banners to the ground.
In the following months, defiance of the hijab mandate became more prevalent as it happened more in towns and cities. A young college student named Kimia (23) described how women her age no longer wear hijabs around their college campus, even when in the presence of male professors; she doesn’t even carry a hijab with her anymore. In the city of Qum, a bank manager was reprimanded for “catering to clients with hijabs.” Even Zaineb Kazempour is under investigation. Conservative lawmakers in Iran want to begin warning women by text, denying them civic services, and even blocking their bank accounts if they violate the law.
Leila, a 51-year-old mother living in Tehran with her daughter, recently went on vacation. At the airport, she was surprised to see how many women were without their hijabs despite the increase in security officials. She thankfully reports that “We all got through security and passport control with our hair uncovered, and they said nothing. Our power is in numbers.”
While the women’s movement is growing larger, there are still those who prefer to wear their hijab, in part due to fear, but also as a choice. The women who still wear a hijab are typically religious but have joined the effort of other Iranian women to repeal the law. On social media, a petition has been signed with the message, “I wear the hijab, but I am against the compulsory hijab.” Similarly, the women who no longer wear their hijab still respect those who do; they have no problems with the “voluntary hijab,” just the “compulsory” one.
It is the hope of women in Iran that as their movement grows nationwide, the law will be repealed. Their greatest power will be their strength in numbers and their bravery to be openly defiant. It is important that they continue this movement not only to repeal Iran’s policy but to show women everywhere that change is possible. The unparalleled courage these women have shown even in the face of adversity should be a reminder to us all that no feat is too small and no task too great when equality is at stake.
Information from the New York Times Article: Their Hair Long and Flowing or in Ponytails, Women in Iran Flaunt Their Locks