After a teenage girl, Mahsa Amini, was killed for not wearing her hijab correctly, many Iranians were outraged. A hijab is a covering Muslim girls wear in order to be more modest. They dress modestly because of the rules in their religious book, the Qur’an. They decided they needed to protest against the government for not giving women the choice to wear their hijabs or not. Many Iranians are being arrested or even killed for participating. As of now, 2,000 Iranians have been detained. 253 people have been killed, 24 of them being under the age of 18. Women are leading these protests, which is new compared to the past. Even students have joined in on protests and they have become an essential part.
Women are protesting in marches and trying to spread awareness through social media. They are shouting “Women. Life. Freedom,” as they march through the streets in an attempt to get their point across. Women losing their freedoms in one country affects women everywhere. We need to come together to support them, and when we need their support they will do the same.
Women everywhere can relate this injustice to women in America who no longer have their abortion rights protected by Roe V. Wade. Americans have lost the right to choose what to do with their pregnancies, however, the Iranians do not have the right to choose to wear their hijab or not. This event holds a ton of significance for women. It shows that they will no longer back down and be subordinate to men and unfair treatment. Women will be strong, band together, and support each other no matter what. If you would like to help, you can donate to NCRI Women’s Committee, the Gershad app (supports United for Iran), and spread the stories of Iranians on social media.