The Iranian Women’s Way of Fighting
In Iran, the fight for freedom comes at a staggering price, and Iranian women and girls are paying the ultimate cost for challenging a regime that seeks to control even the smallest aspects of their lives, including their appearance. The tragic deaths of two schoolgirls in recent weeks in two different cities, Aynaz Karimi and Arzu Khavari, serve as stark reminders of the price they are willing to pay for resisting a regime. According to a statement from the Iranian Teachers’ Trade Association, school authorities humiliated Aynaz Karimi, just 16 years old, threatening her with expulsion for violating the Islamic dress code simply because of her painted nails and non-compliance with the regime’s dress expectations. Arzu, 16 years old too, was harassed and threatened with expulsion for not wearing the required Islamic uniform. These threats, alongside the emotional and psychological toll they took, led both girls to tragically end their own lives.
These tragedies are part of a broader trend of resistance that started long ago. Sahar Khodayari, known as the “Blue Girl,” 28 years old, set herself on fire to protest national laws banning females from entering stadiums in September 2019. This fight and resistance intensified and poured into the streets following the death of Mahsa Jina Amini in the custody of the moral police in 2022.
Mahsa’s death sparked a nationwide rebellion focused on women’s rights and freedoms, which has been met with a fierce government crackdown. The protests quickly evolved beyond the issue of the hijab, touching on broader demands for autonomy and basic human rights. Iranian women, in particular, have been at the forefront, rejecting the state’s tight control over their lives. The regime’s response has been swift and harsh. Many young people have been killed, tortured, blinded, detained, or imprisoned, and it still continues. Just yesterday, Verishe Moradi, 39 years old, a female political prisoner, was sentenced to death by the Islamic revolutionary court.
Since then, many Iranian women feel they have passed a point of no return. As Mina, a journalist in Iran, explained, “The sacrifices they’ve made are too high to turn back now. They are unwilling to yield even an inch because, for them, the cost has already been paid with their lives. They have nothing left to lose; fighting is their everyday life.”
In one notable case, Ahu Daryaee, known as the “Science and Research girl” in Iran, staged a protest by stripping off her clothes on the Science and Research University campus of Tehran, openly and radically challenging Iran’s hijab laws. Rather than the typical response of imprisonment, authorities detained her in a mental asylum, trying to control the narrative and label her protest as a psychic act. According to her friends, she is a mother of two and never showed any signs of mental instability. This tactic by the regime is not unusual: the Iranian authorities have long tried to frame acts of resistance as signs of mental instability, hoping to discredit them and diminish their political impact.
This perspective highlights a deeper issue: the Iranian government’s deep-seated fear and desperation in the face of such public acts of defiance, which challenge the very foundations of its control over women’s lives. They are afraid that if they acknowledge such bold and rebellious acts, it will set an example for others. It is too dangerous for them to accept that a woman might make such a statement knowingly and courageously, for it could take away all control.
Another aspect of the authorities’ apprehension is that if they continue targeting women for their dress and behavior, they risk even greater acts of defiance. There is a fear that more women might begin to protest in radical ways following Ahu’s lead, perhaps even stripping away all control the regime holds. For the Islamic republic government, which claims to set an example for the Muslim world, the cost of this resistance is becoming too high to accept.
For women like Aynaz, Arzu, and Ahu, personal expressions have become acts of defiance in a system that punishes any deviation from enforced norms. Bahar, an Iranian writer and scholar, drew a historical comparison when discussing the situation of women in Iran today: “Now we are like Jeanne d’Arc or shamans, those who were burned at the stake in history because of their different views; a systematic attempt to silence them, labeling them as witches or mentally unstable.”
Iranian women, however, are clear: their fight is not just about the hijab law; it is about reclaiming fundamental human rights and the freedom to live without constant state interference. They are not just challenging a piece of clothing; they are challenging an entire system that tries to rule over them. Their protests represent a struggle for autonomy, dignity, and a future where they can make their own choices.
However, it is not just the government that women in Iran are up against. Another ally of the government in suppressing women is a segment of traditional society: fathers, brothers, and husbands, who often collaborate in enforcing restrictions on women’s freedom. Every now and then, there is news of beheadings or “honor killings” that highlight the severe challenges Iranian women face from within their own families. Cases like Mona Heydari, 17 years old, beheaded by her husband in 2022, and Romina Ashrafi, 14 years old, killed by her father in 2020, underscore the extreme threats faced by young women who attempt to assert their independence. Just yesterday, the Iranian public was shaken by the tragic death of Mansoureh Ghadiri Javid, an Iranian journalist brutally killed by her husband. These acts serve as gruesome reminders of the cultural forces that work alongside the government to maintain control over women’s lives.
In the revolution that began with the “Woman, Life, Freedom” motto, Iranian women are, ironically, paving the path to freedom with their lives. Each day has become a choice between life, death, or freedom. In their daily struggle, they are crying out, “Look at us! Death or Freedom!”
