Men in Iran are showing support for women’s freedom by snapping pictures of themselves wearing hijabs – and it’s touching and awesome (it made me a little weepy), and also a good reminder of the value of the freedoms we enjoy in Canada.
Iran has a compulsory veiling law requiring women to wear a headscarf and loose, modest clothing. This law has been in place in 1983 following the 1979 Islamic revolution. Punishment for disobeying the law can range from detention to lashes. And lately, reports the Huffington Post, some women are fighting back.
Iranian journalist Masih Alinejad launched My Stealthy Freedom, an online movement against the enforced hijab, in 2014, and has also started the social media campaign #MenInHijab to encourage men to show their support and advocate for change in the law. And so they are.
One man posing with his mother writes:
“Obliging women to wear the veil is an insult to the entire society; it is a source of humiliation for all of us. Mothers should decide by themselves how they want to dress. Let’s all support our mothers rather than oppose them.”
Another writes:
“Compulsory veil is an immense cruelty to half of Iran’s population while also being a huge insult to the other half.”
This is of course because the compulsory cover up is ostensibly to prevent men from making sexual advances, something they are supposedly unable to stop themselves from doing in Iran.
Still another talks about how his wife wants to go to the beach and feel the wind in her hair, and the fact that this simple pleasure is denied her.
Alinejad told The WorldPost. “To be clear, we are not against the hijab. If you want to wear it, you should wear it! Women in Iran don’t have a choice.”
She’s reportedly been blown away by the support she’s received.
Here are a few of the photos that have been posted. I’m in love with all these people today (but not in a sexual advances kind of way).
A photo posted by Masih Alinejad (@masih.alinejad) on