Iranian students and pharmacists defy power by posing behind the lens, a scarf on their heads. A strong gesture against the obligation to wear the compulsory veil imposed on women.
An unusual reversal of roles in Iran. For several days, dozens of photos of Iranian men wearing a veil have been circulating on social networks. A strong gesture in support of women in a country where their rights are largely repressed.
Many Iranians of all ages, a veil on their heads, pose in front of the lens or in a selfie to denounce the obligation to wear the veil imposed on women. Since the Islamic Revolution of 1979, the police have ensured strict compliance with this rule in the public space.
It is to denounce theabsurdityof this rule and “injustice“of which Iranian women are victims”for more than four decades“, than men “publish photos of themselves with a veil“, deciphers on his Twitter account Farid Vahid, co-director of the Observatory of the North and the Middle East and of the Jean Jaurès Foundation.
“Ridiculing the power”
Some students even goat university wearing the veilto testify to theirsolidarity» to their comrades and protest against «the dress code» which is mandatory. This practice aimsto ridicule the regime», greets Farid Vahid.
Pharmacists also publicly mock the Iran Food and Drug Administration (IFDA). This public administration, which operates under the supervision of the Ministry of Health, has made the wearing of the traditional veil compulsory for all female staff in pharmacies. To show their disagreement with this measure, professionals pose behind their desks or between two medicine shelves, with a veil over their heads.
On her Twitter account, journalist and activist Masih Alinejad congratulates these actions: “Iranian men mock this order and support their female colleagues by wearing the hijab.These photos went around the world and were applauded by hundreds of Internet users. “Proud of our men who stood with us in the fight for freedom #MahsaAmini“, can we read in the comments.
Men mobilized in support of women
Masih Alinejad goes further by calling, in another post, “international pharmacists to support their Iranian colleagues“. The activist recalls thatmany women lost their jobs for the crime of resisting compulsory hijab laws. […] Human rights are a global issue. Show your solidarity“.
This is not the first time that Masih Alinejab has challenged men. In 2016, the opponent of the regime asked them to participate in her campaign against the compulsory wearing of the veil through the hashtag #meninhijab. Two years earlier, the activist had created the movement “My Stealthy Freedomto revoke the forced wearing of the hijab in Iran.
Iranian men have mobilized widely in support of women since the death of Mahsa Amini, which sparked a wave of protests, last September. Hand in hand, men and women demonstrate in the streets against a repressive regime that has already caused the death of several hundred people.