ch24: iran

Islamic Republic

Theocratic regime since 1979, velayat-e faqih (rule of clerics)

Supreme Leader

Highest authority; controls judiciary, media, military

Guidance Patrol / Morality Police

Enforces hijab dress code in public

Compulsory Hijab Law

Mandatory since post-revolution; symbol of Islamic identity

Mahsa (Jina) Amini

Kurdish woman killed in police custody for improper veiling → sparked 2022 uprising

“Women, Life, Freedom”

Kurdish-origin protest slogan → became movement symbol

Hijab Bill (2023)

Criminalizes non-veiling; fines, business sanctions for non-enforcement

Women’s bodies

Primary terrain of state control & resistance

Unveiling as protest

Bodies became canvas of defiance (no hijab

Hijab protests

About hijab AND also about corruption, repression, economics → multi-grievance revolution

Hijab as political symbol

Transformed from religious expression → state flag of Islamic identity post-1979

Women’s bodies politicized

State regulates dress → everyday life becomes arena of contestation

Unveiling resistance

Removing headscarf

1979 Revolution

Hijab mandatory; chador labeled “flag of revolution” by Khomeini

Early protests (1979)

Women marched against hijab rule, ignored by regime

1990s–2000s activism

Reformist phase; incremental rights (divorce, custody)

Non-movement resistance

Small daily acts (loose scarf, colorful veil) challenge control

Non-movement resistance

Everyday defiance (hair showing, bright scarves) that slowly shifts norms

Girls of Revolution Street (2017)

First public unveiling protest → precursor to 2022 movement

Vida Movahed

Stood on utility box waving scarf → iconic image

Amini’s death

Catalyst; injustice symbol → nationwide revolt

Bodies as protest

Women unveiled on streets facing riot police

Intersectional grievances

Water shortages, inflation, corruption → all linked to hijab control

2022 protests significance

First women-centered revolt in Islamic Republic history

Hijab → mega-symbol

Represents control, inequality, repression, surveillance

Why protests grew

40 yrs of anger from corruption + economy + gender laws

Hijab Bill 2023

Heavy fines + prison + business penalties for serving unveiled women

Surveillance society

Citizens forced to police each other → everyday spaces become regulated

“Messiness of governance”

Uneven enforcement creates fear + unpredictability

Morality policing logic

Break resistance by controlling daily life sphere

Hijab Bill enforcement

Legalized fines, business closures, tech surveillance

Civil society crushed

NGOs shut down, activists jailed, protests risky

Parallel “uncivil” civil society

State funds loyal organizations to mimic activism

Protests ongoing as cultural shift, not one event

Resistance continues through daily unveiling in public spaces

Movement lacks unified leadership due to repression

Key takeaway

Even without revolution success, gender norms have changed irreversibly; veil has fallen symbolically

Iran Class Summary

Hijab protests were not only feminist but symbol of 40-year systemic grievances; women’s bodies central to state power → and to revolt; 2022 uprising signaled cultural transformation despite repression