By Famidah Mundir- Dirampaten
The death of a woman in custody in Iran after she had been detained by the so-called “morality police” for failing to cover herself sufficiently in public, has set the internet ablaze.
This sort of upsetting news worries me. I was immediately concerned that Islamophobes would once again use the hijab to advance their political agendas.
What distinguishes those who genuinely care about people from those who only seek to impose their cultural norms on others? What about those who merely want to use a tragedy as a justification to impose their cultural standards on others?
It’s encouraging that a lot of people are actually calling for the authorities to be held accountable. Others, however, appear to be less concerned with the issue-at-hand and are instead, more focused on spreading ideological propaganda that contends people should be allowed to wear whatever they please.
It’s obviously insane to execute someone for failing to adhere to the dress code and I have zero sympathy for the Iranian regime in this matter. I support those who are calling them out for actual violations such as the murder of innocent people including the revolutionaries on their streets at this very moment. However, if someone is more bothered about a woman’s refusal to dress according to the government’s mandate than be bothered about her murder, then that person needs to change. After all, it is stated in the Quran, Surah Al-Ma’idah (5:32): Whoever takes a life…it will be as if they killed all of humanity; and whoever saves a life, it will be as if they saved all of humanity.
Headscarves, which are traditionally associated with Islam, have soared in popularity around the world due to a variety of social, political and practical factors. Head coverings are common in Jewish, Christian and Hindu communities. However, none of these religions have stirred up as much controversy or received as much media attention as Islam has.
Regardless, the mandatory hijab that is enforced on Iranian women today under threat of violence is the furthest thing from what the Iranian government claims to stand for. My upbringing in Islam taught me that faith is a choice. I am a proud Muslim woman who wears the hijab and I firmly believe that no one should be forced into wearing it. It must be something they choose for themselves or else, they will resent and rebel against it.
I believe that the Iranian government is about preserving state power rather than implementing Islamic teachings. After all, there is no compulsion in Islam.
The Iranian political leaders have consistently fallen short of the expectations of their people on both the political and economic fronts for several decades. This failure to deliver on those expectations culminated in Mahsa Amini’s alleged execution by the morality police. Consequently, the Iranian people are risking their lives on the streets right now because everyone is pushing their own agenda.
In the midst of oppression, Iranian women and their people have the right to fight for their freedom. However, it is completely absurd for others to generalize this entire incident to Islamic traditions about whether or not women should cover themselves, given that there are Muslim women around the world, including India, France and Switzerland, are actively fighting for the right to wear the hijab. Therefore, hijab bans, which forcibly outlaw the wearing of the headscarf, are just as wrong as are hijab mandates, which take away Muslim women’s autonomy.
Therefore, I stand in solidarity with the Iranian women and men who are fighting for their freedom and fundamental liberties. However, do not use their fight for the freedom to wear whatever they wish to wear, in order to degrade my personal choice to wear what I wish to wear-the hijab.
About the Author:
Famidah Dirampaten is a candidate for the Master of Arts in Religious Studies with concentrations in Interfaith Peace Building and Nonprofit Leadership at the Unification Theological Seminary in New York. She is currently based in Doha, Qatar. Instagram @famidz