Dubai, United Arab Emirates is known for its luxurious lifestyle, modern architecture, and vibrant culture. However, just a short distance away in Iran, a different reality exists for women who dare to defy the country’s strict hijab laws.
In a recent incident along the Caspian Sea, Iranian police officers opened fire on a 31-year-old woman named Arezou Badri. Badri, a mother of two, was shot while trying to evade police who were attempting to seize her vehicle due to a previous violation of Iran’s headscarf law. This tragic event is just the latest in a series of crackdowns on women who choose not to wear the hijab in public.
The shooting of Badri comes almost two years after the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who died while in police custody over a similar headscarf violation. Amini’s death sparked nationwide protests and brought attention to the oppressive nature of Iran’s enforcement of the hijab law.
Despite promises from Iran’s new reformist President to ease enforcement of the headscarf law, incidents like Badri’s shooting and a recent video showing a young girl being manhandled in Tehran highlight the ongoing dangers faced by women who choose to defy the hijab mandate.
The shooting of Badri occurred late at night as she was driving home with her sister. Activists believe that police initially stopped her car due to the impound notice related to the hijab violation. The details of the shooting remain murky, with conflicting accounts of the events leading up to the tragic incident.
Iranian law dictates that police must fire a warning shot and aim to wound below the waist before taking a potentially fatal shot at a suspect’s head or chest. However, in Badri’s case, the gunfire pierced her lung and damaged her spine, leaving her unable to walk and confined to a hospital bed.
Authorities have restricted access to Badri, preventing her family from visiting and taking photographs of her. Despite these efforts to silence her story, activists continue to speak out against the oppressive hijab laws and the violent tactics used to enforce them.
The hijab crackdown in Iran has been a contentious issue, with many women choosing to defy the law by wearing their headscarves loosely or leaving them draped around their shoulders. Surveillance technology provided by Chinese firms is used to track women who drive without wearing hijabs, leading to confrontations with the police.
A recent incident captured on surveillance footage showed a 14-year-old girl being manhandled by morality police in Tehran. The girl’s mother described the brutal treatment her daughter endured, highlighting the harsh reality faced by women who challenge the hijab laws in Iran.
As the anniversary of Mahsa Amini’s death approaches, the spotlight is once again on Iran’s oppressive enforcement of the hijab law. Despite promises of reform, the dangers faced by women like Arezou Badri serve as a stark reminder of the ongoing battle for women’s rights in the country.