It's Not Just the Women of Iran, It's All of Us

Protests that began in the streets of Iran are blazing across the globe. In Seoul, Istanbul, Auckland, New York, Paris, Zurich, and Los Angeles protesters are chanting the slogan of the 2022 revolutionary movement: “Women, Life, Freedom.” [1] 

The bravery of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini to stand up to the Iranian “morality police” and refuse to wear a hijab headscarf led to her arrest and death while in police custody. Her family suspect she was beaten to death. Ahmini was a Kurdish Iranian who reportedly showed some of her hair in public and paid with her life for this act. The now-international slogan “Women, Life, Freedom” was first chanted at her funeral in Saqez, Kurdistan. 

Women are the leaders of the protests - women standing for the autonomy over their own bodies in the face of police brutality. Women burning their hijabs, cutting their hair, and taking to the streets to stand for their right to determine for themselves what is appropriate to wear.

Some of the most moving images of these protests are of young women with their hair shaved standing by the graves of their mothers and brothers who died in the protests. [2] 

We Know About Surveillance

This protest has captured the emotions and fervor of women and men throughout the world because we recognize that this kind of oppression is not unique to Iran.

We know all about this.

We have seen it in our own cities, in our faith communities, perhaps in our family systems. 

The work of the “morality police” is a global phenomenon. The surveillance of women’s bodies and their attire goes by many names. Dress coded. Slut-shamed. Improper Attire. Not Modest. And many others. But make no mistake - women are being surveilled. [See my blog post from February 2022 -  Modest Dress and the Surveillance of Women's Bodies].

And this surveillance rarely results in any positive message about women’s bodies. This surveillance serves to shame, to pit one woman against another, to exclude, and to marginalize. 

As women, it’s our time to resist this surveillance. It’s our time to stand up for one another instead of shaming one another. It’s our time to stand with our sisters in Iran and throughout the world for the right to honor God with our dress in the manner that we, and not others, see fit. We can make a difference with our words, our own actions, and our circles of influence.

Today we honor Mahsa Amini and the brave women of the world who stand for Women, Life, and Freedom.

[1] https://www.npr.org/2022/10/03/1126603977/iran-mahsa-amini-solidarity-protests;  https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/oct/01/women-life-liberty-iranian-civil-rights-protests-spread-worldwide

[2] https://www.thequint.com/neon/gender/iran-woman-chops-hair-on-grave-of-brother-killed-in-anti-hijab-protest#read-more; https://thepipanews.com/index.php/2022/10/02/another-iranian-woman-stood-at-her-mothers-grave-with-shaved-hair-and-gave-a-message-of-protest-thepipanews/