Authorities in Iran thought that they could quell the women’s protest against the state’s imposition of mandatory hijab through applying force but they have not succeeded, and they are now shaken at the core. Starting on 16 September when the 22-year-old Mahsa Amini died in police custody, the protests entered the fourth week, yet instead of dying down as the authorities thought it would, protests now spread to schools. Girls came out on the streets waving their hijab in the air in protest. Though the official figure of deaths is not available, the tally of casualties is taken to be more than 185, according to Reuters. Deaths include members of the security forces also.
Meanwhile, the official forensic investigation into Mahsa Amini’s death arrived with the finding that her death was not caused by “blows to the head and vital organs and limbs of the body”, but by an “underlying disease”. Amini’s family members consistently said that she did not have any physical problem and was in good health.
Regarding the protests, Iran authorities continued to tell the people that the wave of protest was orchestrated and fomented by Iran’s enemies such as the US, Israel and other western countries. Recently, they published a video showing two French nationals who made confessional statements that they were involved in the protest. France slammed this move and said that Iran forced them to give such confessions.
Whatever is the truth, the undeniable reality on the ground is that a section of Iranian women do not want the state imposition of the mandatory hijab rule. These protesting women are purportedly not against the hijab as such but its enforcement by the so-called morality police of the state that is. This is for which, since Mahsa Amini’s death, the protesters are on the streets and have successfully sent this message to the authorities in Iran.
After the 1979 revolution that overthrew the Shah regime, Iran called itself “Islamic Republic of Iran”. Since then Iran has been governed by elected governments, but the Ayatollah, now Ali Khamenei, remains the Supreme Leader of the country who himself made a public appearance recently and squarely blamed Islamic republic’s enemies for the unrest and insecurity in Iran.
Even as the women protested against hijab, pro-government rallies were also organised to generate support for the government. That trick has not worked.
Men also joined the women protesters in defiance of religious leaders who have imposed an autocratic rule in the name of Islam. A government and religious leadership are two different things. Islam does not force religious values on the people they rule.
Let the religious leaders of Iran set examples how good they are as Muslims. To treat women as property of men by making them subservient to their whims and wishes is not Islam.
Each Muslim knows what Islam is from their understanding of the holy Quran. The Iranian religious leaders should persuade people by teaching them what Islam is about. They are not there for dictating their version of Islam on Iranian people and run a ruthless dictatorship to enjoy political power.
