The Legacy of Mahsa, a Year later: It Is Only the Beginning for Iranian Women

Newark, Del. (Special to Informed Comment; Feature) – Imagine, you come from your small town to visit the capital.

You have a whole plan to visit places, parks, and monuments.

You want to have a good time with your friends and relatives.

The night before you are together with your friends and family. You laugh, you have fun like all young people do.

Then the day begins. You leave the house.

The morality police show up. You are taken into a van and then into custody because a strand of your hair is shown.

You are severely beaten on the head. The video shows how you stumble on the floor. It takes more than an hour for an ambulance to arrive. In the meantime, your interrogator, a man with no credentials, calls you names, calls you a whore. You are no good, your hair was visible, he says. The women present in the room do nothing. They watch.

This is the story of Mahsa or Zina, her Kurdish name– whose strands of hair were visible. She was dressed in black but perhaps had red lipstick on. Nothing more. She was accompanied by her brother. She was beautiful.

In less than 24 hours, she died having fallen into a coma. The doctors couldn’t save her but two photographers who are now in jail took her picture while she was at the hospital with tubes in her mouth.

The whole world watched.

She didn’t survive the blow to her head. The Islamic Republic called this an accident. It was no accident. She was murdered before our eyes.

A young woman with hopes and dreams for a bright future was taken away. She was studying to become a doctor.

Perhaps if she had landed in Northern Tehran where women’s hijab is no big deal she would have survived.

Her murder caused a fury. Not just a fury but a revolutionary movement on the part of women and men who are asking for the basic rights of any human being. To be free, to wear what they want and to mingle like all young men and women desire. To laugh and be happy.

Her life was taken away…. For no good reason.

In 1979, the famous Italian journalist, Oriana Fallaci , interviewed Ayatollah Khomeini. She had the hijab on and asked the Ayatollah why women in Iran are supposed to wear the hijab over their clothing. In response he said, well it is none of your business. If you don’t like it don’t wear it. She immediately took off her hijab.

He left the room angry.

Women in Iran have had to endure the compulsory hijab for four decades.

But no more. It is done. It is over-with.

Nowhere does the Koran say that women must cover their hair.

In Sura 24, The Light, al-Nur, verse 30, women are admonished to “draw their head coverings over their breasts and, and not show their charms,” except to their husbands and the male members of their family.

Mahsa left her mark. She is now a symbol of the struggle of women all over the world against oppression.

She is the daughter of Iran as her father has called her. She symbolizes the emancipation of women of Iran from a system that has incarcerated them for over four decades.

She is free……… and so will be the women of Iran. Sooner rather than later.

The movement has just begun.