Sisters, we need to talk. Feet up, burn sage, drink something hydrating kind of talk. I’m going to start with three shocking statements. The first is that in Iran there’s a legal branch of law enforcement called the morality police. The premise of a morality officer is to monitor the conduct of women and girls, ensuring the doctrine of “morality” is obeyed. Morality despotism, constituted by an oppressive patriarchal system, includes regulating women’s appearance, movements, expressions, and self-governance.
The second shocking statement, possibly more startling than the first, is that I’m not revisiting a historical saga. This obsolete concept of binding women within copious layers of prejudice, mandates, and persecution, all before tethering labels around necks that read morality, is happening now. Today. At this very moment.
My third shocking statement, and the most tragic of all, centers on a 22-year-old woman named Mahsa Amini. On Wednesday 14th September, Amini was arrested for not wearing her hijab in the manner required by Iran’s conservative Islamist directive. A state law that doesn’t only violate human rights but that’s a régime intentionally harmful to Iranian women and girls.
While in custody, Amini lost her life. Eyewitnesses and courageous whistleblowers have stated that a passive Amini was violently assaulted, incurring significant injuries that left her unconscious. After days spent in a coma, she succumbed to her injuries on Friday 16th of September. The 22-year-old teacher was kidnapped, tortured, and slain for the heinous crime of – wait for it – showing some hair. Take a minute to let the absurdity sink in. It’s almost so farcical that one could be fooled into thinking it's a humorless joke. But make no mistake - it isn’t. Iranian women are in tremendous danger and are being slaughtered on the streets of Tehran as you’re reading this.
It's interesting how misconstrued the definition of words can become. For example, the Iranian government supposedly honors all that umbrellas morality, meaning they uphold the values of goodness, integrity, virtue, honesty, ethics, and all that sparkling jazz. However, this is unswervingly contrary to Iran’s ongoing acts of brutalism against women. In essence, they’re adopting the word morality to justify murder, domination, harassment, and subjugation. I don’t think there’s enough caffeine in this world that’s going to get me through the tedium of trying to comprehend this level of regressive thinking. It’s simply iniquitous.
Mahsa Amini died unjustly. Presumably alone, frightened, and before her time. Once her death was reported by journalists (who’ve since been assaulted and detained, including Iranian journalist Niloofar Hamedi) it catalyzed a revolutionary feminist movement. An uprising that demands reform, which has been exciting (go sisters!) and harrowing to watch. Not only are these protests a crucial moment in women’s emancipation, but to witness such blatant courage and activism is altogether iconic and inspirational. History is being made with emboldened acts of free-flowing hair, the burning of headscarves, and the unequivocal refusal to allow continued women’s demoralization. It’s an empowering moment in women’s history. It’s instructive. And it’s a potent reminder of the obligation that we women have to one another; preserving the principles of women’s liberation by defending it at all costs.
Mahsa Amini’s death is “Iran’s George Floyd moment” (Omid Jalili). George Floyd was murdered by racist police in the spring of 2020, igniting the largest racial justice protests in the United States since the Civil Rights movement in 1968. The outcry for justice for George Floyd – and all people of color who’ve been unjustly victimized due to systematic racism – extended far beyond the borders of America and its foreign terrains. It became a global movement.
Much in the same way, Amini’s death started the greatest revolution this side of Iran’s history. The insufferable theocratic patriarchy has been threatened. By the time I decided to write this, approx. 92 protestors have been murdered and approx. 1200 have been imprisoned. Students at Sharif University in Tehran have been shot and killed for their protest. Activist Minoo Majidi was beaten to death for their protest. 19-year-old Hadis Najafi was shot six times in the chest and face for their protest. 16-year-old Sarina Esmaeilzadeh was beaten to death for their protest. Protestors, journalists, lawyers, civilians, and family members were all murdered for protesting in Amini’s name. Furthermore, the Iranian government has suspended internet access, including up-to-date media coverage reaching the West. That’s another branch of morality that I must be unfamiliar with.
Sisters, listen up. As a collective, we are at the forefront of this fight. It is both our duty and responsibility to advocate for the equal rights of women across the world, fighting for women’s freedom from intimidation, harassment, discrimination, and gender-based violence. It’s our task to fight for women’s emancipation and body autonomy. We must endorse and support female representation in society. We must fight for a world where it’s safe to be a woman.
There’s much to do, so let’s get to work.
“Mahsa Amini is now a global symbol of freedom, not just in Iran.”
- Nina Ansary
(Image: www.gazettenet.com)
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