Protests in Iran: a turning point for women’s rights? 

(Original: french) 

Written by: Julia Ricci 

Translated by: Lou Szabo 

Since 16 September, Iran has been riddled with protests. The cause is the death of Mahsa Amini, a young 22 years old woman who was arrested by the Guidance Patrol (also known as ‘morality police’) in Tehran for “wearing inappropriate clothing^[1]Le Monde avec AFP. (2022, 24 septembre). Mort de Mahsa Amini en Iran : des réformateurs réclament la fin du port obligatoire du voile. Le Monde.fr. Consulté le 6 octobre 2022, à … Continue reading“. Sixteen days after the first demonstration, 1,200 protestors have been imprisoned and 92 people have been killed, according to the NGO Iran Human Rights (IHR)^[2]Courrier International. (2022, octobre 2). Violences. En Iran, les étudiants veulent donner un “nouvel élan” à la contestation violemment réprimée par le régime. Courrier international. … Continue reading. Since the 1979 revolution, women’s rights and freedom of speech have been violated by the ascendancy of religion as a patriarchal, ideological and political tool for the domination and control of Iranian women’s bodies^[3]Khosrokhavar, F. (2002, 1 décembre). Le mouvement des femmes en Iran. Cahiers du Genre, n° 33(2), 137‑154.https://doi.org/10.3917/cdge.033.0137Chafiq, C. (2018, 27 décembre). L’Humanité : Les … Continue reading. This article analyses the demands of women in this movement, supported not only by unprecedented international solidarity, but also by the national mobilisation that goes beyond demands for women’s rights. The question then arises as to how the current protests could mark a turning point in Iranian society, particularly for the status of women? 

Women at the forefront of the fight for their rights 

The protests mainly denounce the oppression face by women in Iran. Women are using the veil as a weapon for their political vindications, individual freedom and the recasting of their rights^[4]Khosrokhavar, F. (2002, 1 décembre). Le mouvement des femmes en Iran. Cahiers du Genre, n° 33(2), 137‑154.https://doi.org/10.3917/cdge.033.0137. Today, the veil is rejected and considered as a normative symbol of social, ideological and patriarchal domination by the Iranian theocratic regime^[5]Bahloul, K. (2022, 20 septembre). Kahina Bahloul : « Il faut arrêter de faire du voile un symbole de l’islam » . Le Monde.fr. Consulté le 4 octobre 2022, à l’adresse … Continue reading. Indeed, Iranian feminist theories see it as “gender apartheid, i.e. a system of political, social inequality and legal discrimination against women^[6]Jannic-Cherbonnel, F. (2022, 2 octobre). GRAND ENTRETIEN. Manifestations en Iran : “Nous sommes face à une situation avec un énorme potentiel révolutionnaire. Franceinfo. Consulté le 4 octobre … Continue reading“. The actions of the Guidance Patrol, the Gasht-e Ershad, which pursues the regime’s repressive policy of subordinating women, are at the root of this revolt. This police force is increasingly contested by the population as well as by the political elite, in view of its violence and arbitrary arrests. Due to the vagueness of the legislation on dress codes, the morality police takes the liberty to interpret them freely, leading to abuses of women’s rights^[7]Franceinfo (2022, septembre 24). Mort de Mahsa Amini : qu’est-ce que la police des mœurs, qui sème la terreur en Iran ?. Franceinfo. Consulté le 4 octobre 2022, à l’adresse … Continue reading. 

This uprising is a continuation of the post-revolutionary movements of 1979, which consider the women’s veil as a “political banner^[8]Chafiq, C. (2018, 27 décembre). L’Humanité : Les « mercredis blancs » en Iran. Les filles de la « révolution » . (2018, 27 décembre). Consulté le 6 octobre 2022, à l’adresse … Continue reading“ of Islamic ideology. Since 2014, Iran has seen an intensification of vindications. Increasingly, Iranian women are publicly revealing themselves as a way to protest against this strict dress code, initiating movements such as “White Wednesdays” and “Girls of Revolution Street^[9]Gritten D. & Slow O. (2022, septembre 21). Polémique autour du voile en Iran : des femmes brûlent leur voile lors de manifestations contre le hijab. BBC News Afrique. Consulté le 6 octobre … Continue reading“. Every Wednesday, women demonstrated in the streets wearing white clothes or scarves as a sign of non-violence, peace and freedom^[10]Chafiq, C. (2018, 27 décembre). L’Humanité : Les « mercredis blancs » en Iran. Les filles de la « révolution » . (2018, 27 décembre). Consulté le 6 octobre 2022, à l’adresse … Continue reading. These movements wear the faces of the women who rise as leaders during these times of struggles, such as Masih Alinejad in 2014, Vida Movahed in 2018, Mahsa Amini in 2022, among others. As of 4 October 2022, the NGO IHR has documented at least 154 deaths from the protests across the country, including children^[11]Iran Protests : at Least 154 Killed/Children Amongst Dead. (s. d.). Consulté le 7 octobre 2022, à l’adresse https://iranhr.net/en/articles/5508/. 

Governmental repression and violence have strengthened solidarity among women. They fight by using strong symbols such as setting their veils on fire or cutting their hair with the slogan “Women! Life! Freedom!^[12]Caron, P. (2022, 22 septembre). Manifestations en Iran : « La colère traverse les classes sociales, c’est inédit » , estime l’historien Jonathan. Franceinfo. Consulté le 4 octobre 2022, à … Continue reading“. Despite the government’s internet blackout serving to suffocate mobilisation^[13]Caron, P. (2022, 22 septembre). Manifestations en Iran : « La colère traverse les classes sociales, c’est inédit » , estime l’historien Jonathan. Franceinfo. Consulté le 4 octobre 2022, à … Continue reading, the population has bypassed it by carrying its fight on social networks. On Twitter on September 18th, around 1.5 million tweets were made using the hashtag #Mahsa_Amini^[14]Solidarité avec les femmes d’Iran. (2022). Solidaires. Consulté le 4 octobre 2022, à l’adresse … Continue reading. When it come to these protests, internet’s reach creates a space for freedom of speech, denouncing the system and the patriarchal culture, as well as for vindicating their rights^[15]Rouach D. (2019). Comprendre les mutations qui affectent l’Iran à travers la question de la condition des femmes. Mémoire de master Iris Sup’, sous la direction de M. Thierry Coville (p.20). … Continue reading. The media coverage of these uprisings has led to a worldwide wave of support, in particular from the Iranian diaspora, demonstrating a growing consideration and awareness of the international community regarding the rights of Iranian women. Demonstrations have taken place in more than 150 cities in Canada, Berlin and other European capitals to denounce the dictatorship^[16]Courrier International. (2022, octobre 2). Iran : manifestations dans plusieurs universités du pays. Courrier international. Consulté le 4 octobre 2022, à l’adresse … Continue reading. Furthermore, some Western governments have shown supports towards the protestors, such as US President Joe Biden and Josep Borell, head of European diplomacy. Alongside France and Germany, they are calling for a series of sanctions, including an asset freeze and travel rights for some leaders responsible for the crackdown. The morality police is also targeted by US sanctions, reflecting a strong commitment by government administrations to the defence of women’s rights in Iran^[17]Iran : l’UE étudie des « mesures restrictives » contre la répression des manifestations. (2022, 4 octobre). RFI. Consulté le 7 octobre 2022, à l’adresse … Continue reading. 

Women’s rights as an impetus for more general radical demands against the regime 

Due to its radical nature, this movement can be qualified as a revolution. The protests mobilise all social and generational classes in Iran. However, the youth are involved on a large scale in the public space to transgress the laws^[18]Bayce, M. (2022, 22 septembre). Manifestations en Iran : « depuis 43 ans, les femmes sont les premières cibles du régime » . euronews. Consulté le 6 octobre 2022, à l’adresse … Continue reading. Students have been protesting in universities since October 1st to give a new impetus to support women, and a faculty strike is taking place to proceed with the insurgency^[19]Courrier International. (2022, octobre 2). Violences. En Iran, les étudiants veulent donner un “nouvel élan” à la contestation violemment réprimée par le régime. Courrier international. … Continue reading. 

This desire for a regime change, for opposition to its symbols and repressive control has been reinforced since the accession to power of the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ebrahim Raissi, in August 2021^[20]Caron, P. (2022, 22 septembre). Manifestations en Iran : « La colère traverse les classes sociales, c’est inédit » , estime l’historien Jonathan. Franceinfo. Consulté le 4 octobre 2022, à … Continue reading. 

Thus, unlike the movements of these past decades, the current protests are enduring and becoming a part of the population’s daily life. In the past, fear of government repression was enough to dissolve the movements. Moreover, this protest turnaround come in addition to the economic and health crises experienced by the Iranian population during the Covid-19 pandemic, the increase in precariousness due to Western sanctions and the inflation in the price of petrol. This combination of factors contributes to the increase in political tensions, crystallising demands for mainly democratic and social reasons, thus delegitimising the government^[21]Caron, P. (2022, 22 septembre). Manifestations en Iran : « La colère traverse les classes sociales, c’est inédit » , estime l’historien Jonathan. Franceinfo. Consulté le 4 octobre 2022, à … Continue reading.  Today, the new generation, too young to have taken part in protests in 2019, is determined to reject the dictature of its government^[22]Jannic-Cherbonnel, F. (2022, 2 octobre). GRAND ENTRETIEN. Manifestations en Iran : “Nous sommes face à une situation avec un énorme potentiel révolutionnaire. Franceinfo. Consulté le 4 octobre … Continue reading. Additionally, the population strongly rejects a nationalism built on an oppressive religious ideology. Indeed, the Iranian Republic is using nationalism and religion as a means of total control not only over women’s bodies, but also over society, hence the rising anger of the population. As a result, the vindications go beyond the normative questioning of the veil. It is a movement “against the compulsory veil^[23]Manifestations en Iran : « Les réseaux sociaux ont donné beaucoup de pouvoir à ces jeunes contestataires » , L’OBS. (2022, 5 octobre). Franceinfo. Consulté le 7 octobre 2022, à l’adresse … Continue reading“, which is synonymous with “humiliating servitude to patriarchal power^[24]Khosrokhavar, F. (2022, 7 octobre). Iran : des mouvements éclatés à la révolte des femmes. L’Obs. Consulté le 7 octobre 2022, à l’adresse … Continue reading” and political Islam. Previous women’s movements, especially since 2009, relegated the veil to the background, fighting mainly for social and legal equality between women and men and individual freedom of choice. These mobilisations, increasingly intellectual and cultural, are now giving way to a massive social movement, taking the form of concrete collective actions^[25]Ibid. 

Conclusion 

Because it is driven by women, the current uprising in Iran is a turning point for Iranian society, supported by the population as a whole. Their demands are political, feminist and social in nature, reflecting a strong popular desire for radical change. This desire aims to delegitimise the regime and its religious symbols while opposing the Guidance Patrol, and is therefore a significant milestone for women’s rights in Iran. Furthermore, these demonstrations have an international scope, with actions taken by states such as France and the United States in support of Iranian women and their rights. The international sanctions and the solidarity of the diaspora show a willingness to act against the oppression of the Iranian people by the Islamic Republic. It remains to be seen whether this movement will endure and intensify, despite the ongoing repression. 

To cite this production : Julia Ricci, “Manifestations en Iran : un tournant pour les droits des femmes ?”, 07/10/2022, Gender in Geopolitics Institute.  

The statements contained in this article are the sole responsibility of the author.