In an exclusive interview, Najma Minhas, Managing Editor Global Village Space, discussed the situation in Iran with Fatemeh Aman, a non-resident fellow at the Atlantic Council. Fatemah highlights Iran’s adherence to the “obligatory hijab” idea and the Establishment’s employment of certain tools to counter perceived threats.
The interview went on to explore how the latest protests have disproved the myth that those born in the 1990s and 2000s are uninterested in politics and revolution. Fatemah referred to the situation as “critical” since several countries have asked for harsher sanctions to be placed on Iran and this might also affect the JCPOA talks with the United States.
Iranians all throughout the country have taken to the streets in response to the event. Women have been especially inspired by the protests to come out and learn why the Iranian regime has always placed such a high value on the hijab, what is motivating the present rallies, and where it is all headed.
Khamenei has accused the US of causing the protests; was this expected? “Death to America” and “Hijab” were the uniting factors in Iran since the 1979 revolution; Is this now breaking down? Is this the beginning of the end of “Islamic Republic of Iran”?
Watch the full interview below.
Mahsa Amini, an Iranian lady of 22 years old, passed away in a Tehran hospital on September 16, 2022, under mysterious circumstances, according to witnesses. She had reportedly been the victim of police violence.
Amini was detained by Iran’s Law Enforcement Command’s Guidance Patrol, the morality police, for not donning the hijab in a manner that met official requirements—it was too loose and revealed some hair. She allegedly had a heart attack at a station, passed out, and then went into a coma, according to police.
Read More: UN urges Iran to stop using “disproportionate force” against protestors
Eyewitnesses, including other women jailed with Amini, said that she had been brutally beaten. Amini was said to have had a brain haemorrhage or stroke, according to these claims and leaked images from the doctor’s office.
Following Amini’s passing, there were several widespread protests around the country that attracted attention from around the world, including a statement from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees that highlighted violence against women in the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Many foreign leaders, groups, and well-known people have denounced the act and shown support for the demonstrators. The morality police and Iranian commanders in other security groups were subject to penalties from the Canadian government and the US Department of the Treasury.
Read More: US President warns Iran to face costs for crackdown on protests
Iran’s authorities made an effort to put an end to the demonstrations by using tear gas, water cannons, birdshot, and metal pellets to disperse the crowd. Numerous applications, such as Instagram and WhatsApp, were also blocked, and access to the internet was restricted.
Since the total shutdown of the internet in Iran in 2019, these may be the country’s worst internet restrictions to date. Immediately following the Iranian Revolution in 1979, Iran enacted a required dress code for women that was based on their interpretation of Islamic principles.
Less than a month after the revolution, on March 7, Khomeini issued a directive requiring all women to wear the hijab at work and outlawing the practise of women entering government buildings “naked,” as he called it.