On September 13, 2022, the Iranian morality police arrested 22-year-old, Mahsa Amini for “improperly” wearing her hijab in public. Just 3 days following her arrest, she went into a coma and was shortly pronounced dead at a hospital in Tehran, Iran. The Iranian police claim that her death was a result of a heart attack, but Mahsa’s father, Amjad Amini, who has raised her since birth contradicts those statements by saying that Mahsa was in “perfect health” and did not have any heart-related medical conditions, according to the article, “Mahsa Amini’s Father: ‘Everything They Have Said and Shown Is Lies.” 

 

Moreover, local media are convinced that the young Iranian woman was severely beaten by the police and received several blows on the head with a baton. This unfortunate event eventually led to protests on social media and massive riots in Iran, resulting in violent encounters with the authorities and the destruction of numerous police stations.

 

On the day of Mahsa Amini’s funeral, held in her hometown of Kurdistan, protesters showed their rage by shouting phrases, such as “death to the dictator” and that "Kurdistan will be the graveyard of fascists," David Gritten reports. Many women also participated in the removal and ripping of their headscarves. As the riot made its way to the provincial capital, security forces fired tear gas on the protestors and there were even some reports of the police opening fire. This was one of the first violent protests held in Iran and was definitely not the last. 

 

On the following day of September 18, hundreds of students gathered around the University of Tehran to seek justice for Mahsa Amini and to rebel against the Islamic Republic. Their revolutionary cry, “Women, Life, Freedom,” was an inspiration for many protesters to continue to stand for their beliefs, Celine Alkhaldi and Romin Mostaghim report. It is a slogan that remained present in the protests that followed. 

 

Another important event to note was that on September 30, 2022, violent confrontations took place after demonstrators chanted in front of a police station near the Great Mosalla of Zahedan, according to the article, “Events in Iran since Mahsa Amini's arrest and death in custody.” 

 

The Zahedan Massacre, also known as Bloody Friday, was a truly horrible event that led to many casualties including 96 deaths, 13 of them being children, and more than 300 people left injured -- according to the Baloch Activists' Campaign. A picture taken of the Baloch protester, Khodanoor Lojei, became the key reminder of this event. Khodanoor Lojei had his hands tied around a flagpole minutes away from being tortured and killed by Iranian officials.

 

The death of Mahsa Amini did not only impact the people of Iran, but it also became a symbol for women's activist movements and a general symbol of freedom in the world. Social media became the means of communication that would bring people together for the sole purpose of supporting Iran and women’s rights. To honor Mahsa Amini’s death and also go against the oppressive Iranian government, women and men from all around the world join Iranian women in the cutting of their hair. Their videos are posted all around the internet on various platforms. Many in-person protests held in the United States and other countries showcase women burning their headscarves after cutting their hair. 

 

However, these protests in Iran are not just because of the death of Mahsa Amini. For decades, Iranian women have been suppressed by the patriarchal society they live in and have fought for their freedom numerous times in history. In fact, the most notable turning point for women in Iran was the 1979 Iranian Revolution, also known as the Islamic Revolution in which the Iranian people overthrew their Shah, or king, and established the Iranian republic under the supervision of the religious and political leader, Ayatollah Khomeini. 

 

With Khomeini in power, women’s rights were rejected. Child custody was taken away from them as well as their freedom of decision-making, the article,“Reconstructed Lives: Women and Iran's Islamic Revolution” says. 

 

On International Women’s Day of that same year, various protests took place with tens of thousands of unveiled women gathering in front of the new prime minister’s office, standing up for themselves and for the younger generations. Their brave chants of change surely inspired the Iranian women of today to be resilient in the midst of despair and injustice.

Works Cited

 

Alkhaldi, Celine, and Ramin Mostaghim. “Iranian Police Say Death of Mahsa Amini ‘Unfortunate’ as Protestors Take to the Streets.” CNN, 20 Sept. 2022, edition.cnn.com/2022/09/19/middleeast/iranian-police-say-death-of-mahsa-amini-unfortunate-intl/index.html.

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“Events in Iran Since Mahsa Amini’s Arrest and Death in Custody.” Reuters, 26 Oct. 2022, www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/events-iran-since-mahsa-aminis-arrest-death-custody-2022-10-05.

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Gritten, By David. “Iran Protests: Police Fire on Mahsa Amini Mourners - Witnesses.” BBC News, 26 Oct. 2022, www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-63397159.

 

“Mahsa Amini’s Father: ‘Everything They Have Said and Shown Is Lies.’” Center for Human Rights in Iran, 26 Sept. 2022, iranhumanrights.org/2022/09/mahsa-aminis-father-everything-they-have-said-and-shown-is-lies.

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“Reconstructed Lives: Women and Iran’s Islamic Revolution.” Wilson Center, www.wilsoncenter.org/article/reconstructed-lives-women-and-irans-islamic-revolution.