The protests against the hijab being compulsory to be worn by women in Iran are spreading like wildfire in the country. Iranian women have come out on the streets after the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amin, in the custody of the moral police, after she was arrested for not wearing a hijab. On Tuesday, in the country’s capital Tehran’s university, female students took to sloganeering and boycotted their classes.
Male students have also come out in support of the female ones. The strongest protest is going on in the province of Kurdistan. Markets, offices, schools and colleges have been shut in 12 cities of Kurdistan, including Urmiya, Kermanshah, Rasht, and Qom. Slogans against the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ali Khamenei, were raised in the protests, and this is the first time that people in multiple cities of Iran are protesting against the supreme Islamic leader on such a large scale.
The government has suspended internet services in many cities, and the police took to firing on the protestors, which led to the death of 5 protestors, while 85 others were injured. 250 people were arrested. Looking at the protests, the government of Iran has deployed 50 thousand additional policemen in Tehran and multiple other cities.
On the other hand, 15 women organizations including Hengaw have come forward to raise their voices against the moral policing in Iran and the introduction of the face recognition technology in order to make sure the hijab is compulsorily worn. These organizations also received support from students’ organizations in the current protests.
