Why Iranian women are burning their hijabs
Protests by the oppressed sex are rocking the Islamic Republic
From far-flung villages to the steps of Tehran University in the capital, women are leading men. They are at the front of protests and rally the crowds by burning their mandatory hijabs (headscarves), cutting their hair and dancing in public. Their immediate cause is Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old student, who died on September 16th after morality police beat her, apparently for wearing a loose hijab. But their grievances are fed by four decades of religious strictures that have fallen heaviest on women. After a week of gunfire and killing, their protests are spreading.
This article appeared in the Middle East & Africa section of the print edition under the headline “Burning their hijabs”
From the September 24th 2022 edition
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