The March 8, 1979 It was the last time that Iranian women walked the streets without cover their hair. Not even a month had passed since the ayatollahs rose to power to establish the Islamic Republic of Iran. They, in a swarm of revelry and vindicationThey came out to demonstrate. As they did during the Islamic revolution, 200,000 women (and men) demanded their rights with their bodies and their voices. But the ayatollahs betrayed them. The freedom proclaimed by the movements of just a few weeks ago was not for them. Never again, in Iran, could her strands of her hair get tangled up in the wind.
Now, 43 years later, a piece of hair in sight has set the country on fire again. The death of Masha Amini At the hands of the moral police for not wearing a proper cover, her hair has filled the streets with rage. Men and women burn veils and they risk their lives –there are already 76 dead in the demonstrations– moving their bodies. That piece of clothing is already fuel for change. More than four decades have passed since Iranian women, also along with their partners, rejected a piece of cloth that still stands between them and freedom today.
pillar of the regime
The evolution of the veil explains the history of iran. At the beginning of the century, this garment was reserved for upper class women and it was a symbol of opulence. The vast majority of women in a country with large rural areas did not cover their entire body in the same way as now until the establishment of the Islamic Republic. As one of the first measures of a new regime that was born promising freedom, independence and social justice, the compulsory veil has become one of the pillars of the current repressive system in Iran. to the ideological foundations of fierce hatred of the United States and Israela dark cloth surrounds them that silences half of the population.
Iran’s literacy figures are exceptional in the region: that of women over 15 years of age stands at 85.5%, while that of men remains at 80.8%, according to UN Women.
But, in the intimacy of their homes or in the privacy of their schools, women take off that imposed veil. After an initial attempt to limit the schooling of women, Iranian leaders have, over the years, become the architects of exceptional literacy figures in the region. That of young women over 15 years of age is situated in the 85.5%while that of men remains at 80.8%, according to UN Womenyes And it is that the Iranian authorities have made an effort to educate their citizens. In 1975, just four years before the revolution, less than 30% of Iranian women could read and write.
educated women
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Now, at least 50% of women receive higher education in one of the 51 state universities from the country. In 1977, there were barely 16. But this increase in the educational level, all this new knowledge obtained, has not translated into a greater presence in decision-making processes. That is why, until now, his battle rested on his head. Many Iranian women, especially in the main cities, have been hesitating the authoritiesletting out a couple of strands more than allowed, moving away from the conservative clothing that is imposed on them.
It is they who, from the streets, lead an intersectional struggle under the Kurdish claim ‘jin, jiyan, azadi’ (woman, life, freedom). Now, those same avenues that saw their compatriots battle the fabric that today sentences them to abandonment, overflow with their voices. Maybe open the doors of the schools to all those girls born under a dark veil ends up becoming the condemnation of a regime supported by a few black threads. Perhaps the wind, fueled by the courage of a whole generation, will manage to break them.
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Eddie is an Australian news reporter with over 9 years in the industry and has published on Forbes and tech crunch.