Homo Sapiens may be the ‘most wise’ yet we fail to understand what exactly are our priorities, a piece of cloth or someone’s life. Or is it the fact that for some countries their ‘so-called’ beliefs are more important than the lives of women? Because I am not talking only about the incidents that are taking place in Iran, but all over the world, which is why it brings the question, where exactly did we go wrong? The fight is not only about the rights of women, neither it is the fight about feminism or of feminists, as it seems that we are so busy in our “fights”, we forget that no matter what, someone’s LIFE comes first!
However, it is very important to know EXACTLY what is going on in Iran, and not be misinformed about it and see it as a trend like many other situations where the life of a Human being, a Woman ended up being a trend with herself being long forgotten, so here is a rundown:
Mahsa Amini, 22, was killed by Iran's morality police, Gasht-e-Ershad (Guidance Patrols), for wearing an "improper hijab," which has caused widespread protests around the nation and a contentious discussion on social media over hijabs and women's rights. In Montreal, protesters have also come to the streets to demand justice and freedom for Iranian women.
The protest has now turned into he said she said, and the Public vs the Authorities, with over 40 killed. Demonstrators were killed by security forces in Urmia, Piranshahr, and Kermanshah, according to activists, and few of them were women. Authorities claim that demonstrators are responsible for the deaths of a police officer in Shiraz and two civilians in Kermanshah.
After three days in a coma, the 22-year-old Kurdish woman from the northwestern city of Saqez passed away in the hospital on Friday. She was detained by morality police while in Tehran with her brother on the grounds that she had disobeyed the legislation requiring women to cover their arms and legs with loose clothing and their hair with a hijab, or headscarf. Soon after collapsing at a correctional facility, she entered a coma. According to accounts, police reportedly used a baton to strike Ms Amini in the head and hit her head against one of their cars, according to acting UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Nada al-Nashif. She was not harmed, according to the police, who claimed she had "sudden heart failure." However, her relatives said that she was in good health.
"Mahsa Amini's tragic death and allegations of torture and ill-treatment must be promptly, impartially and effectively investigated by an independent competent authority, that ensures, in particular, that her family has access to justice and truth," Ms Nashif said. "The authorities must stop targeting, harassing, and detaining women who do not abide by the hijab rules," she added, calling for their repeal.
The Hijab Laws in Iran:
After the Islamic Revolution of 1979, Iranian authorities enforced a strict dress code requiring all women to cover their faces and bodies in public by donning loose-fitting garments.
The "Gasht-e Ershad" (Guidance Patrols) morality police are in charge of, among other things, making sure ladies dress according to what the authorities consider to be "appropriate." Officers have the authority to stop women and determine whether their hair is showing excessively, whether their overcoats and pants are too short or tight, or whether they are sporting excessive amounts of makeup. Fines, jail time, or public whipping are possible penalties for breaking the rules.
In 2014, Iranian women started sharing pictures and videos of themselves publicly flouting the hijab laws as part of an online protest campaign called "My Stealthy Freedom". It has since inspired other movements, including "White Wednesdays" and "Girls of Revolution Street".
The death of the 22-year-old has ignited increased Islamophobia and support for “hijab bans” in countries such as France, Denmark and India. However, amongst all this, we fail to understand that by banning the hijab and by making it mandatory, no one is winning or losing, however, what actually will be happening is that the authorities will yet again get a chance to decide what a woman should or should not be wearing.
Women in Iran who remove and burn their hijabs are not criticising the hijab but rather demanding the freedom of choice that Islam grants women but which the government has taken away. By refusing to allow the government to dictate what they should and should not wear, Iranian women are asserting the right to freedom and choice. Their use of phrases like "Down with the oppressor, whether Shah or a Rehbar" and "Zen, Zindagi, Azadi (Woman, Life, Freedom)" is an attack on the state rather than on religion.
Mahsa Amini's death is tragic and ought to be denounced. However, it shouldn't be used as justification for regulating the hijab and the bodies of Muslim women, or of any Woman, be it Iran, France, America, or India. As, the moment we decide to ban a piece of cloth or mandate a piece of cloth on behalf of women, “claiming” that it is only for their own good, we as a society leave behind all the progress we have made so far in the fight for equality.
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