In Iran, women without veils have no right to exist, says exiled US activist

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Iranian women took to the country’s streets to rip their veils, exposing their hair and anger. Also with anger the regime has reacted. The repression of the protests has already left more than 80 dead, according to human rights organizations. On Wednesday (28), the police again warned that they will “oppose with all their strength” those who insist on going to acts against the regime.

Events give an account of the symbolism of this piece of cloth. “The regime is afraid because it knows that the veil is not just a fabric. It is our Berlin Wall”, he tells Sheet Masih Alinejad, 46, one of the most visible figures in a decade of protests for Iranian rights. “If we tear down this wall, the Islamic republic will not be able to continue to exist.”

The demonstrations that have rocked the country in recent weeks began after the death of Mahsa Amini, 22. She was arrested on Sept. 13 outside the Tehran subway for allegedly violating the dress code. According to her family, she was beaten and hospitalized, in a coma. Amini died three days later.

“After Amini’s brutal death, the people were angry. Many identify with her story,” says Alinejad. “It could have been someone in their family. They’re seeing that their daughters are second-class citizens. If they don’t wear the veil, they don’t have the right to exist. It was a turning point. They’re on the streets to protest not just the veil, but against the whole regime.”

Debates over the veil, known as a hijab, are ancient in the region. There are disagreements over what the fundamental texts of Islam say about the need — or not — for a woman to cover her hair with the fabric.

Some interpretations hold that the Qur’an only requires social separation between women and men. The rule, moreover, would only be for the wives of the Prophet Muhammad. Over time, however, the understanding spread that the hijab is a necessary sign of the modesty of a “proper woman.” Cloth is now common in countries of Islamic culture.

Iran is one of the few countries, alongside Afghanistan, that requires women to cover their hair by law. The rule is part of the ultra-conservative package imposed by the 1979 revolution, which established the regime in force today. With the obsession of the rest of the world, which sees the hijab as a symbol of Iranian authoritarianism, the veil has become one of the pillars of the regime.

“Young generations on the streets reject this ideology that has been imposed for 40 years,” says Alinejad. “People who were born in the 1990s don’t want that anymore.”

Alinejad speaks from the US, where she has lived since 2009. At age 19, when she was still in Iran, she was arrested for publishing articles critical of the Ayatollahs’ regime. She was pregnant. Although she has left the country, she remains one of the loudest voices against the imposition of the veil. In 2014, she founded the My Stealthy Freedom project, in which she shares photos of bare-haired Iranian women.

Exile brings some security, as Alinejad is not exposed to the censorship and repression that Iranian women face every day. Violence, however, reaches even women who are abroad. In 2021, the US government thwarted an alleged kidnapping attempt against the journalist. This year, a gunman was arrested hanging around the activist’s New York home – she believes he wanted to kill her.

Alinejad says the Iranian decision to tighten internet censorship is a sign of its fears. “They don’t want the rest of the world to see the crimes against humanity they are committing. And they don’t want people to coordinate. When Iranians see each other on social media, they feel more powerful. The government wants to isolate them.” , says.

It is unclear what will happen in the coming days as the regime promises to escalate the crackdown. In 2019, thousands of Iranians took to the streets in the biggest demonstrations in the country’s history. According to Reuters, security forces at the time killed 1,500 people.

In this context, the Iranian journalist asks the international community to get involved in this discussion. She expects the US, for example, to reinforce the vetoes on travel by members of the Iranian regime. “The West has to be tough as it was with Vladimir Putin,” she says, referring to the set of retaliations against Russia as a result of the War in Ukraine.

Alinejad also criticizes the left wings that, around the world, have avoided criticizing Iran. “It’s easy for them to criticize Saudi Arabia and Yemen, but not Venezuela and Iran,” he says. “It shouldn’t be like that. We want a moral standard of human rights for both the left and the right.”

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