Brave Iranian women flout strict dress code by posting photos of themselves without hijab scarf; moments of ‘stealthy freedom’
BRAVE Iranian women are defying the strict Islamic dress code, taking off their headscarves and posting pictures to Facebook.
THOUSANDS of Iranian women have come together in an online campaign for greater freedoms, posting pictures of themselves without their headscarves.
More than 146,000 people have liked the Facebook page “Stealthy Freedoms of Iranian Women,” where more than 100 Iranian women have bravely posted photos of themselves in their moments of “stealthy freedom” without a veil — risking fines and jail time for breaking the strict Islamic dress code.
The page was created 10 days ago with the aim of sparking debate on whether women should have the right to choose to wear the hijab, or headscarf.
Appearing in public without a headscarf is punishable with a fine or even jail time in Iran, but the campaign has yet to provoke an official response from the Iranian authorities.
“I loathe the hijab. I too like the feel of the sun and the wind on my hair. Is that a sin?” wrote one woman.
The page was started by UK-based Iranian journalist Masih Alinejad.
“My hair was like a hostage to the government,” she told the BBC. “The government still has a lot of hostages.
The hijab, which is compulsory for women in Iran, requires all women to cover their hair and much of their body in loose clothing in public as part of a strict Islamic dress code.
It has become a defining feature of Iran’s interpretation of Sharia, or Islamic law, since the 1979 revolution.
More than one hundred women have posted photos on the page, sharing their memories of moments of brief “stealthy freedom” without a headscarf.
“This is me committing a crime,” wrote a girl who posted an image of herself sitting in the middle of a secluded road in Nour Forest in northern Iran, with her headscarf resting on her shoulder.
“Hoping for the day when all my nation’s women can taste freedom with their whole bodies and souls” wrote one woman beside a photo of herself in a field.
Others shared their photos and memories of feeling the wind and rain through their hair — a rare experience for Iranian women.
“I just want the right to CHOOSE!” wrote one woman. “Maybe I would have even chosen to wear a scarf if I’d had options to choose from. But it hurts me so much when others make decisions for ME instead of myself! My photo is grey, just like my life.”
Another photo shows a grandmother, a mother and her daughter together on a pavement.
“In one frame, three generations secure freedom at a corner of this street,” read the caption.
“Here’s hoping the day comes when the next generation can exercise its most basic right, before their hair goes grey.”
A dedicated morality police has long handed out fines, verbal notices or even arrests to women it considers are not observing the hijab rules properly.
The unit has reportedly been ordered to exercise more restraint since President Hassan Rouhani, a self-declared moderate, took office in August promising greater social freedoms.
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