Iranian Morality Police Accused of Murder
On Sept. 16, Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian woman, passed away in a hospital in Tehran, Iran. Officials claim that Amini’s death was due to multiple-organ failure caused by cerebral hypoxia, a condition in which there is a decreased supply of oxygen to the brain. However, shortly before her passing, she was first arrested by the morality police – a division of Iran’s Law Enforcement Forces – for not wearing a hijab and not covering her arms and legs with loose clothing. Amini was later beaten to death by the morality police for allegedly not abiding by its hijab rules. Wearing a hijab has been obligatory for all Iranian women since April of 1983, and it is a procedure for a girl to start wearing a hijab when she starts puberty. Amini’s death served as a catalyst for mass protests, the first one taking place on Sept. 17, after her funeral in Saquez, when women ripped off their hijabs in solidarity.
Since then, protests from Iranian citizens have swelled with demands ranging from more freedoms regarding women’s rights to an overthrow of the state. Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, who has been widely unpopular and has opposed the protests following Amini’s death, has also appeared in discussion. Resistance in the form of videos have surfaced with women setting their headscarves on fire and cutting their hair with the shared message, “Woman, life, freedom” and “Death to the dictator”. Schoolgirls have joined in demonstrations in playgrounds and in the street alongside men and teenage boys, who are supporting the women’s demands (British Broadcasting Corporation). Although there have been prior mass protests in Iran, like in 2009 and from 2017-19, they were led by the working class and limited to major cities. The recent protests have involved people from all factions of society and age groups, which have spread across dozens of cities and towns (British Broadcasting Corporation).
Due to the large scale of these protests, Iranian citizens have been easy targets for violence inflicted by Iranian government forces. The protests, though they are mostly peaceful, border on being violations of Iranian law, and thus, law enforcement has responded violently. According to the Human Rights Activists News Agency, the names of 479 people killed during the protests, 68 being children, have been recorded as of early December. Sophomore Hana Tehrani believes that this conflict shows there should be a change of laws in the Islamic Republic.
“If Iran’s women and men continue [protesting], some policies inevitably will change,” Tehrani said. “The question is if these people will have the strength to continue despite the horrendous response from the Islamic Republic. While attempting to change all unfair laws is impossible and will simply backfire, enforcing basic human rights is necessary.”
Regarding international affairs involving the protests, Iran claims that it will sue the U.S. for its alleged involvement in the demonstrations. President Joe Biden showed support for the protesters in Iran by promising unknown consequences on the Islamic Republic and said that the U.S. stands with the women in Iran who are attempting to secure their rights. Along with this, the U.S. has announced diplomatic sanctions on the morality police for abuse and violence against Iranian women and the violation of the rights of Iranian protesters (Cable News Network). The U.S. is also working toward making internet access easier for Iranians since print media in Iran is currently under strict control with little to no news being reported about the protests. Although there is more coverage on websites, news outlets have to be cautious not to violate any rules instilled by the Islamic Republic. Junior Miguel Andrade believes that the implementation of sanctions was the right action for the U.S. to take.
“I think the sanctions should be effective for [bringing] change in the Islamic Republic’s laws,” Andrade said. “Since there is not a lot of information about the protests in the media, I think the U.S. is doing a responsible thing by imposing sanctions to work towards de-funding organizations working with the Islamic Republic. Hopefully, through these sanctions, we are closer to increased rights for people who live in Iran.”
Historically, women’s rights have been deeply restricted in Iran, getting to the point where married women cannot leave the country without their husband’s permission (The Washington Post). Additionally, women in Iran also face discrimination on issues such as marriage, divorce and child custody. They inherit half the amount that a man would and cannot marry more than one man while men can marry up to four women (The National News). Women have also been sent to jail for speaking out in favor of gaining equal rights. This particular issue expands beyond the scope of oppressed women since anyone who openly criticizes the Islamic Republic is at risk of going to jail (Human Rights Watch). Junior Eshani Prasad believes that youth generations should proactively fight against unequal rights.
“Advocating for women’s rights through the protests in Iran is up to [Generation Z] and how much effort we put into being updated on [the protests],” Prasad said. “But a big problem that can arise from advocating for political issues is performative activism, which is pretty common in our generation with people posting about issues but not taking action. [Our generation] could be donating towards the cause instead of posting on social media and then deciding to not do anything else. If we [instead] take action now, then maybe someday women can show four strands of hair without the risk of being killed.”
