On November 2, 2024, an Iranian woman took to Tehran’s Islamic Azad University campus in her socks and underwear in an apparent protest of Iran’s conservative dress code and the violent enforcement of said code. In a segment regarding the protest, CNN International Correspondent Nada Bashir said: “An Iranian student social media channel has reported that the woman had [previously] faced harassment by members of the Basij, an Iranian volunteer and paramilitary group on the Azad University campus, adding that members of the force had ripped her headscarf off and tore her clothes,” allegedly, for wearing the head covering improperly. For women, head coverings are mandatory and hair exposure to any extent is strictly prohibited. All clothing must be loose, and the body must be covered entirely. Sleeves must reach the wrist, and pants must reach the ankles. Bright and loud colors are not allowed. Female students can be seen in footage of the event circulating on social media wearing head coverings and loosely fit clothing, mainly black and other dark, muted tones. In contrast, the woman can be seen pacing in bright purple and white.
The event sparked an outpouring of support. The unidentified woman’s purple and white undergarments have become a symbol against repression in Iran, becoming an identifying aspect in artwork of her that has been shared on social media. The event sparked many protests bearing her likeliness as well. One such protest of Iranian activists in London included a woman dressed in almost identical purple and white set, pacing in front of women dressed in the all-encompassing red robes of the handmaids in Margaret Atwood’s classic novel, The Handmaid’s Tale. The group held three signs, each with one of the following words: “Woman,” “Life,” and “Freedom:” the slogan that arose from the mass increase in protests two years ago following the death of Mahsa Amini.
Mahsa Amini was a 22-year-old woman who was arrested in Tehran by Iran’s morality police on September 13, 2022, for improperly wearing her head covering. She fell into a coma shortly after being taken into custody and died three days later. Iran authorities and the state coroner claimed Amini’s death resulted from a pre-existing medical condition. However, a UN mission into the cause of her death attributed it to police brutality. The police in question were Iran’s morality police who faced a sordid history of accusations regarding human rights violations.
Following Amini’s death, protests and demonstrations arose and spread throughout the country, both peaceful and violent. Headscarves were lit aflame and Iran’s governing system faced calls for reform. On September 30, 2022, in Zahedan, a protest outside a police station turned violent as police opened fire on the crowd. Human rights organization Amnesty International reported a death toll of 66 in stark contrast with the toll of 19 reported by Iranian officials. By the new year, the average toll reported by activist organizations was approximately 500 deaths.
In light of this history, concern has grown for the safety of the unidentified woman who was arrested at the Islamic Azad University campus. An alleged video of her arrest reveals a heated dispute where personnel attempted to violently force the woman into a car, an altercation that has unfortunately appeared on social media numerous times before. Protests have begun to rise once again with many human rights organizations such as Amnesty International demanding the release of the woman. It is reported that in the years following the 1979 Islamic Revolution, the level of revolt witnessed after Amini’s death in 2022 had come the closest to matching the degree of the revolution. Concern and hope have risen in Iran that the present time will follow suit and be the catalyst for major social reform.
