The country is in turmoil over the death of Mahsa Amini, an Iranian girl who was arrested by the morality police for not wearing a hijab in public. Violence in the protest movement is increasing in the country. Thousands of people protested across Iran against the spread of violence in the anti-hijab movement. The protesters called for an immediate end to the violence and vandalism.
A large number of people took part in protests in Basta in major cities of the country, including the capital Tehran, before and after Friday prayers.
Many people who took part in the protest were holding placards with slogans against the perpetrators of violence. They expressed their support for the Islamic revolution. They say, Mahsa Amini’s death is sad. But the actions being taken on this issue are going beyond tolerance.
The death of Mahsa Amini has seen attacks on hijab-wearing women in Iran in the past few days. The flag bearing the name of Imam Hussain has been desecrated. Mosques and shrines have been set on fire. Members of the security forces have been killed. Today, the revolutionaries protested against all this.
A few days ago, Mahsa Amini was traveling with her family from Iran’s western province of Kurdistan to the capital, Tehran, to visit relatives. She was arrested by the country’s morality police unit for not wearing the hijab in public in accordance with religious norms. He died in police custody last Friday. After the incident, demonstrations and protests created a volatile atmosphere in Iran. US President Joe Biden also expressed his support for the country’s ‘brave’ women.
News agency AFP reported that Mahsa went into a coma after the arrest. Witnesses alleged that Mahsa Amini was beaten up in a police van, but the police denied the allegations. “Unfortunately, he is dead,” Iranian state television said. The police also claimed that the girl was suffering from heart disease, though Mahsa’s family denied any such problem, saying she had no health problems.
In Iran, women are not allowed to wear hijab in public today. The country has made it compulsory for women to wear the hijab since the 1979 Islamic revolution. On August 15 this year, Iran’s hardline president Ibrahim Raisi signed a decree on women’s dress codes. He ordered strict action against women’s rights. The decree stipulates strict penalties for violating the dress code both in public and online.
Demonstrations and protests are being held in different cities of the country for seven consecutive days in protest of Mahsa’s death. The country’s government has restricted the use of social media, WhatsApp and Instagram by throwing teardrops to control the protests. According to Al-Jazeera’s report, there have been reports of internet disconnection in different cities of the country. Most of the mobile company networks have been shut down. Due to this millions of people are facing problem in mobile communication. Earlier in 2019, the government cut off internet connection for about a week to control energy protests.
Speaking at the 77th General Session of the United Nations in New York on Wednesday, US President Joe Biden said the United States expressed full support for the recent protests that erupted in Iran after the killing of a 22-year-old woman for wearing hijab. Today we stand with the brave citizens and brave women of Iran, who are protesting right now to protect their basic rights.
(September 23)