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In Iran, some take off their hijabs as hard-liners push back
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] The simple act of walking has become a display of defiance for a young Iranian woman who often moves in Tehran’s streets without a compulsory headscarf, or hijab.With every step, she risks harassment or even arrest by Iran’s morality police whose job it is to enforce the strict dress code imposed after the 1979 Islamic Revolution. "I have to confess it is really, really scary," the 30-year-old fire-safety consultant said in a WhatsApp audio message, speaking on condition of anonymity ... for fear of being murdered... for fear of repercussions. But she is also hopeful, saying she believes the authorities find it increasingly difficult to suppress protests as more women join in. "They are running after us, but cannot catch us," she said. "This is why we believe change is going to be made." The hijab debate has further polarized Iranians at a time when the country is buckling under unprecedented US sanctions imposed since the Trump administration pulled out of a 2015 nuclear deal between Iran  ...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneouslytaking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militiasto extend the regime's influence. The word Iranis a cognate form of Aryan,the abbreviation IRGCis a cognate form of Stürmabteilung (or SA),the term Supreme Guideis a cognate form of either Shahor Führeror maybe both, and they hate and world powers last year. It’s unclear to what extent the government can enforce hijab compliance amid an economic malaise, including a currency collapse and rising housing prices. There’s anecdotal evidence that more women are pushing back against the dress code, trying to redefine red lines as they test the response of the ruling Shiite Moslem clergy and their security agencies. An News Agency that Dare Not be Named news hound spotted about two dozen women in the streets without a hijab over the course of nine days, mainly in well-to-do areas of Tehran - a mall, a lakeside park, a hotel lobby. Posted by: Fred 2019-07-16 |
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