Voices of the People: Women in Iran

“When we say we are against mandatory hijab, we are saying we are against the Islamic State.”

Protests have continued for two months, with 326 dead, 12,500 arrested. Yet the protests go on.

Nov 18, 2022

Iranians have been in the streets for two months in protests led by women united by the protest slogan, “Freedom, women, life.” The initial catalyst for the movement was the September 16 death of a student, Jina Mahsa Amini, at the hands of morality police ostensibly offended by her ill-fitted hijab.

The protest movement represents the biggest threat the regime has faced since seizing power in 1979. Initially fueled by the strict rules of the clerics as it concerns women’s dress, the protests have morphed into something much bigger that potentially could threaten the country’s religious rulers and their grasp on power.

Iranian Protesters. Set Fire to Ayatollah Khomeini’s House

The ancestral home of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini that has functioned as a museum to the late Supreme Leader was set on fire by anti-regime protesters who continued their nearly two months of defiance against the hardline rule of Iran’s theocratic rulers.

Videos posted to social media showed the house in Khomein in the western province of Markazi on fire as crowds marched past and cheered. Iranian state news agency Tasnim denied the late cleric’s showpiece home was on fire. Tasnim claimed “the report is a lie.” The Iranian outlet added that “the doors of the house of the late founder of the great revolution are open to the public.” By contrast, both AFP and Reuters have verified the location.