Saturday, 19 May 2018

Iranian women threw off the hijab - what happened next? - BBC News

Iranian women threw off the hijab - what happened next? - BBC News

Iranian women threw off the hijab - what happened next?

Masih AlinejadImage copyrightMASIH ALINEJAD
Image captionThe image of Masih Alinejad that sparked a movement
It is five years since Iranian Masih Alinejad started a movement - since joined by thousands of women - protesting against the compulsory wearing of the hijab, or headscarf, in her country. It spread on social media and led to unprecedented demonstrations in the streets - but is it any closer to achieving its goal?
It began with a seemingly innocuous event: a woman driving on a mountain road in Iran, enjoying the simple freedom of feeling the wind in her hair. 
It is a freedom most women take for granted, but one that Iranian women have been denied since the Islamic Revolution of 1979. Masih Alinejad captured this moment in a photograph and five years ago posted it on social media.
She then encouraged other women to also share their secret moments of freedom. As a result she was "bombarded" by pictures from women all over the country. 
That was the beginning of my #MyStealthyFreedom, a social media movement opposed to the mandatory headscarf. 
Iranian women wearing whiteImage copyrightMY STEALTHY FREEDOM
Image captionThe campaign has cut across generational boundaries
It has since spawned other hashtag movements: from #whitewednesdays, to #girlsofenghelabstreet to #mycameraismyweapon. 
Masih has more than 2.5 million followers and has become a force for the Iranian government to reckon with.

No comments:

Post a Comment