A few weeks ago, the world found out how a young woman died in Tehran, Iran after her arrest. Thousands of people die every day, but this woman, Mahsa Amini, has become a symbol for gender equality of the decade. On September 16th of 2022, after being arrested and abused for the improper way in which she chose to wear her hijab, Mahsa died all but peacefully while in the custody of\u00a0 Iran\u2019s \u201cmorality police\u201d (authorities who \u201cpolice\u201d citizens\u00a0 based on their theocratic beliefs).\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Iran has an extreme dress code that is viewed critically by many Western societies. The general consensus is that it is extremely conservative and unfair towards females. The dress code for both Iranian women and tourists is to wear loose clothing covering one\u2019s entire body from head to toe except for hands and face, while even more conservative dress is required in places of business or religious centers. A common Iranian saying is that \u201cA modestly dressed woman is like a pearl in a shell\u201d (Simigh). Meanwhile, men get to dress much more liberally (no hair coverings necessary, T-shirts allowed for tourists) in most places, even if they can\u2019t wear shorts in public spaces. Women in Iran have had few other safe choices than to comply with the strict social standards, but the brutal death of the 22 year old has garnered the entire world\u2019s attention; NBC news, a US centered news correspondent, has made multiple broadcasts about the event, despite catering to the opposite side of the globe. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Perhaps one of the most disconcerting issues is that Mahsa was in fact not a local, but a tourist. She was traveling to Tehran with family, and was arrested by the local authorities. She was then physically assaulted by them and held in a \u201cguidance center\u201d for a few days. The state has responded that she died simply of an unexpected heart attack, but this claim has been viewed very critically due to its high unlikelihood. Regardless of the exact cause of her passing, however, these \u201cmorality police\u201d and the legislation they follow are lacking in respect for women, as well as female representation. Additionally, this violent event happened only a few months after two Muslim women who had been living abroad returned to their families only to be killed by their brothers after rejecting their newlyarranged, nonconsensual marriages. According to El Pa\u00eds, the women were \u201cstrangled to death in a so-called \u2018honor killing.'” <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Following the death of Mahsa Amini, there have been dozens of protests across the country, with women publicly cutting their hair and burning their headscarves. Many of these protests have turned violent, and protesters have been arrested and killed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
With similar violent attacks on women who do not comply with different societal standards occurring often, the lack of women’s rights is becoming increasingly apparent. In Spain, women can feel very fortunate to have a progressive society and a safe environment for most. This isn\u2019t the case everywhere though, which demonstrates a problem that remains to be solved. We must consider it our worldwide responsibility to help the women who are unable to wear what they want, go out without a man, and make their own life choices. Everyone can take part in this initiative by raising awareness, including through keeping up to date with research and world issues involving inequality. One useful resource is the UN Women organization, which addresses women\u2019s rights issues around the globe. Ultimately, the true power lies in government and community leaders, which makes it important to be mindful when voting. Women\u2019s rights are a current issue that can be in no way denied, and people must take action now to prevent deaths like Amini\u2019s from happening again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bibliography: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSisters Allegedly Murdered by Husbands in Pakistan \u201cHonour\u201d Killing.\u201d The Guardian<\/em>, 24 May 2022, www.theguardian.com\/global-development\/2022\/may\/24\/sisters-allegedly-murdered-by-husbands-in-pakistan-honour-killing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Motamedi, Maziar. \u201cWhat We Know after 11 Nights of Protests in Iran.\u201d Www.aljazeera.com<\/em>, 28 Sept. 2022, www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2022\/9\/28\/what-we-know-after-11-days-of-protests-in-iran.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMahsa Amini\u2019s Death Sparks Anger towards Iran\u2019s Morality Police.\u201d Www.aljazeera.com<\/em>, 23 Sept. 2022, www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2022\/9\/23\/iran-morality-police-root-cause-iranian-protest-anger-explainer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rasaeipoor, Maryam. \u201cIran Dress Code | What to Wear When You Travel to Iran.\u201d Iran Sun World Travel Agency<\/em>, 31 July 2018, irantours24.com\/iran-dress-code\/. Accessed 30 Sept. 2022.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A few weeks ago, the world found out how a young woman died in Tehran, Iran after her arrest. Thousands of people die…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":30,"featured_media":522,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-518","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blueandread.asbarcelona.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/518","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blueandread.asbarcelona.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blueandread.asbarcelona.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blueandread.asbarcelona.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/30"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blueandread.asbarcelona.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=518"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/blueandread.asbarcelona.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/518\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":525,"href":"https:\/\/blueandread.asbarcelona.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/518\/revisions\/525"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blueandread.asbarcelona.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/522"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blueandread.asbarcelona.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=518"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blueandread.asbarcelona.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=518"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blueandread.asbarcelona.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=518"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}