The Killing of Mahsa Amini Reignites Hijab Protests in Iran
Mahsa Amini was a 22-year-old woman who died at the hands of the “morality police” on September 13th, 2022, in Iran. She was visiting relatives in Tehran with her family when she was arrested for violating the country’s strict hijab laws. The “morality police,” a group used specifically to enforce the country’s dress code for women, took Mahsa to the police station for an hour of “re-education.” Her family heard her screaming until an ambulance discreetly picked her up and took her to a hospital nearby. She shortly went into a coma after an alleged “heart attack.” Iranian officials claim that her cause of death was because of a heart attack while she was in their custody, but an autopsy found that she died due to the beating they gave her, as blood coming from the ears means that she had trauma to her head.
The events have sparked outrage among women in Iran and have sent a shockwave worldwide via social media. Women worldwide began protests to show solidarity with Iran when an image of Amini unconscious with tubes in her body on a hospital bed was revealed. Due to the controversy, this has sparked, the Iranian government has now shut down the Internet, which has brought people to only be able to use VPNs to access messengers to communicate with loved ones and update friends from all over the various social media platforms. However, this feature would only work for newer phones, so many still cannot communicate with others.
Driven by mostly women, demonstrations began to break out all across Iran. Women who once wore hijabs have burned them to protest Amini’s death. Others are cutting their hair short and chanting “Women, life freedom,” “Death to the dictator,” and “Death to Khamenei,” Iran’s supreme leader. But because of their stringent dress code laws, large numbers of security forces were sent out. This resulted in many of the protesters have been arrested and at least seven people killed. These protests and the attention they are drawing are part of the reason why Iranians no longer have internet access.
Themes of our freedoms being restrained is something that even we see in the United States, with the freedom to choose whether or not we as women would like to carry a baby. The most we can do right now is show solidarity for the women who are actively fighting for their rights. As Blair Imani said, “Whether we are fighting for the right to abortion- for Muslims in France to be able to wear a hijab, for women in Iran to be able to not wear a hijab or wear it how they choose- for trans and non-binary people to access gender-affirming care- it is all the same fight. It is a fight for bodily autonomy.”
Strike Out,
By Emily Fiorini-Casamayouret
Emily Fiorini-Casamayouret is a Content Writer for Strike Magazine Boca. When she isn’t writing, she enjoys listening to sad music, doing some retail therapy, and eating pasta. You can reach her at emily.fiorini710@gmail.com