Iranian women ‘to fight until end to achieve all rights’

ISTANBUL / TEHRAN

The only problem of Iranian women is not the hijab, and Iranian women’s fight with the regime will continue until all the rights taken from them are returned, some Iranian women have told daily Milliyet.

In a series of interviews published on Dec. 6, the Iranian women highlighted that “all they wanted was to achieve equality with men.”

Iran on Dec. 4 scrapped its morality police after more than two months of protests triggered by the death of 22-year-old Iranian woman Mahsa Amini following her arrest for allegedly violating the country’s strict female dress code.

“The regime says the morality police is abolished and new regulations about headscarves will be made. This is not our only problem. We want equality,” said a 36-year-old English teacher identified only with initials S.A.

Highlighting she is wandering the streets with her head open, without a headscarf or a hijab, since the protests began, S.A. added, “I want to take my own decisions for myself.”

“[Iranian] Men decide for me. When you are single, your father, brother or a male relative takes decisions your behalf,” she said and added: “After marriage, your husband does so.”

When asked why the protests continue with no halt or pause, S.A. explained, “We, women, want to be noticed as individuals. The aim of the demonstrations is a regime change.”

According to M.A., another Iranian woman, the morality police, which was in force in Iran since 2006, “has not been demolished like the regime announced, only the shape of it changed.”

“We do not see morality police patrolling on the streets. However, last week a bank manager was dismissed for serving an un-scarved woman,” M.A., a badminton trainer, said.

Calling the regime and actions like this “insincere,” M.A. continued, “Our problem was never the morality police, but our right to choose whatever to wear.”

According to M.A., all women walking on the streets with open head, have hijab lying on shoulders to be worn “in case of emergency.”

“I am one of those women. Sometimes civilians warn me to wear my hijab. No one should decide, what we should wear, where we will go, when we will give birth, for us.”

Also, according to the 28-year-old Y.M., the abolishment of the morality police is not the end of “examining women’s dressing.”

She thinks that Iranian women live the worst situation of its entire history. When asked why, she listed, “Women cannot get education or work without the permission of men. Heritage for women is always calculated as half of men. The role of women in business life is so low.”

Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution that overthrew Iran’s U.S.-backed monarchy, authorities have monitored adherence to the strict dress code for women and men.

“Women risk their lives while walking without hijab as they can be attacked or killed,” Y.M. added.

An Iranian general admitted that “more than 300 people lost their lives” in protests since the death of Amini on Sept. 16, however, Oslo-based non-government organization Iran Human Rights last week said at least 448 people had been “killed by security forces.”

Thousands have been arrested, including prominent Iranian actors and footballers.