“‘They Have Nothing to Lose’: Why Young Iranians Are Rising Up Once Again”

After the murder of Mahsa Amini, a woman who wasn’t dressed to the standards of the misogynistic “morality police,” Iran has been filled with protesters calling for women’s freedom from the dictator.   Because Iran is a theocracy, it is interesting to see how religions play into women’s rights.  Many religions have patriarchal backgrounds, and this shows in how they try to control people.  For Iran, it means dress codes that include head coverings worn in a specific way and modest clothing.  Iranian women have been protesting by taking off and burning their headscarves, and walking through the streets with chants.  Other protests have been done through social media, but the Iranian government has taken notice to this and shut down many communication apps such as WhatsApp and Instagram.  They have also been repressing political and social opinions in an attempt to regain control of their government.  However, many Iranians are simply too angry to be shut down.  Shadi Sadr, a human rights lawyer told the NYT that people are protesting because “they are standing up and saying, ‘Enough of this. I am willing to die to have a life worth living.’”

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/24/world/middleeast/iran-protests-raisi-khamenei-hijab.html 

Libby Gardner