Over the past few weeks, protests have engulfed Iran after the death of a 22-year-old woman, Mahsa Amini. She was taken into custody by Iran’s morality police for wearing her hijab incorrectly, and she died three days later. The Iranian government says she died of a heart attack, but her family claims she was healthy before being taken into custody.
Photo credit: IRANWIRE/VIA REUTERS
Protests are occurring across the country of Iran. As a part of the protests, women have been filmed burning their hijabs and cutting their hair. The protests have also been used by some Iranians to express their frustration with the government in general beyond the laws governing how women dress. Protesters have also been filmed chanting for the death of the leader of the country, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Photo credit: SAFIN HAMED/AFP/GI
The government of Iran has responded to these protests by deploying riot police. The police have fired shots into crowds and beaten people with batons. Many have been arrested, and the violent governmental responses to the protests have left at least 133 people dead. As a result of this, the US government has put new sanctions on 7 Iranian leaders. The Iranian government has also enacted an internet shutdown for the first time since 2019.
It is important to note that everything occurring in Iran is not because Islam is an inherently oppressive religion. People may try to push that narrative, but that is a result of their own xenophobia as well as Islamaphobia. The current situation in Iran deals with the consent to be ruled by principles based on some people’s interpretations of Islam. Khamenei has forced women in Iran to follow a more conservative view of Islam, despite what women may believe or want to do.
Iran has recently announced its plans to hold public trials of those involved in the protests; the current number of those indicted stands at approximately 1,000. The impact of Mahsa Amini’s death on Iran and its people cannot be overstated.
It can be easy for people in the US to read about events like these and think that we can do nothing about it, but that is not true. There are many ways for us to show our support including donating to human rights organizations, writing to our representatives encouraging them to stand in solidarity with the women of Iran, and protesting. Doing anything is better than doing nothing. Showing that we support the people in Iran and raising our collective voice is one of the best things we can do.
Click here to find out more you can do to support Iran.
https://www.cnn.com/2022/09/21/middleeast/iran-morality-police-mime-intl/index.html
https://www.cnn.com/2022/10/04/world/iran-internet-blackout-intl-cmd
https://www.cnbc.com/2022/10/06/us-sanctions-more-iranian-leaders-over-mahsa-amini-death-.html https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/jina-mahsa-amini-death-what-to-do/
https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/01/middleeast/iran-public-trials-mahsa-amini-protests-intl/index.html