For women in iran, exposing hair is a stealthy freedom movement. Iranian women enjoy stealthy freedoms by removing their. Iranian women are posting photos of themselves without the hijab on a new facebook page launched to share stealthy moments of freedom from the veil. Stealthy freedoms of iranian women the sl naturist. The facebook page, stealthy freedoms of iranian women, was created may 3 by london based iranian political journalist masih alinejad and has already reached more than 180,000 likes and posts from hundreds of iranian men and women. When masih alinejad was a girl in the tiny iranian. The objective of this research is to explore the development of digital social and social movements at the local level through iranian womens engagement with. I just want to give voice to thousands and thousands of iranian women who think they have no platform to have their say, alinejad said of her facebook page. May 17, 2014 iran womens stealthy freedom dress code backlash.
It is also significant to study the position of women in iran to gain a better understanding of the culture and the real challenges women face. Women have been posting pictures of their brief moments of freedom. Iranian women who posted photos without hijabs face. In this article, i delve into the cultural and social background of a facebook page named my stealthy freedom and the practices of cyber feminism in iran. Headscarves shed on stealthy freedom of iranian women. News world middle east iranian women discard their hijabs for stealthy freedom facebook page. Journalist masih alinejad collects and posts the photos to the stealthy freedoms of iranian women facebook page. Women are not equal under irans constitution, adopted after the islamic revolution in 1979 which mandates legal code adhering to sharia law.
Stealthy freedoms of iranian women facebook page created to allow iranian women to post pictures without traditional cultural wear and sharing their. Describing the vision behind her page creation, alinejad said. All women in saudi arabia, iran and yemen, even nonmuslim women including visitors must cover their heads, or they risk facing punishment. So what is the significance of this coming together on this page. Discrimination against women in iran minority rights group. Shes created a page called stealthy freedoms of iranian women, in which iranians post pictures of themselves without their hijab. Our model pointed us at a campaign on facebook, called stealthy freedoms of iranian women, on which iranian women will post photos of themselves without the headscarf. Women at the crossroads of secularization and islamization homa hoodfar since the success of the revolution and the establishment of the islamic republic of iran, images of iranian women have come to epitomize the worst kind of retrogressive oppression, symbolized by. Iranian women express freedom in highly controversial way. Image my stealthy freedom image caption women are wearing white and discarding headscarves in protest against iran s dress code. Iranian feminists generally fall into two camps when it comes to the women s rights movement in iran, post 1979.
In these portraits, brave individuals speak freely about this growing resistance. Cultures around the world april 25, 2016 in iran, women are using facebook as a portal to freely express individuality and be free from religious restrictions. Iranian women shed hijabs for stealthy freedoms facebook page. Women and politics in iran veiling, unveiling, and reveiling why were urban women veiled in the early 1900s, unveiled from 1936 to 1979, and reveiled after the 1979 revolution. Freedom comes in all shapes and sizes it can be as monumental as the declaration of independence, as american as apple pie, or as simple as letting your hair flutter in the breeze.
The administrators of the page, titled iranian women s freedoms stealthy, say they do not belong to any political group and that the initiative reflects the concerns of iranian women who face legal and social restrictions. Media caption still courtesy of my stealthy freedom campaign like many women before her, masih alinejad, an iranian journalist and blogger, used the tools at. Some believe that islamization has resulted in the marginalizing of women. My stealthy freedomwomen in iran every day, a vast number of iranian women defy repression and carry out small acts of defiancewearing their headscarf too low or with defiantly bright colors. Launched on may 3 and administered by journalist masih alinejad, exiled in britain, the page has almost 100,000 likes.
This question forms the basis of hamideh sedghis original and unprecedented contribution to politics and middle eastern studies. My stealthy freedom, which invites women to share photographs of. Alinejad, an iranian journalist and activist, started a facebook page, my stealthy freedom, in 2014 to protest iran s compulsory public hijab lawfor women and girls. This movement started from a facebook page my stealthy freedom where women from iran post their photos without scarfs, and by the end of 2016 page has surpassed 1 million facebook likes. The term stealthy freedom is indicative of the pressures that exists within iran, wrote human rights lawyer nasrin soutoudeh, one of more than 30,000 women who have posted to the.
Hundreds of iranian women have posted photos of themselves without the hijab in a facebook group called stealthy freedoms the page was set up 10 days ago and has already attracted over 143,000. She spearheaded my stealthy freedom page on facebook to give voice to iranian women who are. Women in iran have been forced to wear the hijab in public, many against their will, since the countrys islamic revolution in 1979. The initiative has received wide international and national coverage, and has been both praised and criticized. How women take to social media in their protest against compulsory hijab in iran 05042015 06. Womens statistical status in the islamic republic of iran. Iranian womens hijab protest triggers rape threats and. Many iranian women are baring their heads, defying their countrys laws, and posting photos of themselves on the stealthy freedoms of iranian women facebook page. In 2014, exiled iranian journalist masih alinejad launched my stealthy freedom msf, a campaign against the law of compulsory hijab veiling. Iranian women remove hijab, join stealthy freedoms facebook. They say all of the photos and captions posted have been sent by women from all over iran. Religions free fulltext the veiling issue in 20th century iran in. A social media campaign has been ongoing in iran for a while against compulsory hijab law.
Women in iran step up hijab campaign by filming themselves walking in public with their heads uncovered. I n 1979, after the islamic revolution of iran, more than a hundred thousand woman took to the streets to protest the compulsory veiling that was to be enforced under the new khomeini regime. One photo caption on the facebook page reads, freedom is every persons right. A facebook page called stealthy freedoms of iranian women showing hundreds of women without the hijab a veil that covers a persons head has garnered more 142,000 likes. This practice has violated womens rights in iran for decades. Within the first two days of its creation, 30,000 women posted photos of. These stealthy acts will challenge the absence of freedom, when revealed.
There are legal restrictions as well as heavily inculcated societal and cultural norms imposed on women. It is a campaign against one of the highly controversial regulations in iranian society. Oct 08, 2009 how the one million signatures campaign, winner of this years raw in war anna politkovskaya award, aims to change iranian society. Others believe that through the dynamic nature of islamic law, known as sharia, a unique consciousness of feminism has been formed in iran. These exiled women cant go home, but they dont want your. This is one of thousands of photos posted to stealthy freedoms of iranian women. By comprehending these factors and becoming informed of womens situation in iran, stereotypes of these women can be challenged and changed. Its a dangerous enterprise, as such photos come with strict punishments, but its. Participation of women in irans polity 025 special issue 2 political participation is a complicated process with many dimensions and thus can be defined in different ways. Jun 16, 2015 womens rights are severely restricted in iran. The wind in my hair my fight for freedom in modern iran by masih alinejad illustrated. Iranian women discard their hijabs on masih alinejads my stealthy freedom facebook page by yasmine hafiz for the past week, women from all over iran have been posting facebook pictures of themselves with bare heads and flowing hair.
Human rights and democracy for creating a facebook page inviting women in iran to post pictures of themselves without their headscarves in defiance of rules requiring them to wear a hijab. Launched by iranian journalist masih alinejad in 2014, my stealthy freedom is a commendable campaign that shows women going against the strict hijab restrictions in iran. The issue of the hijab is a very sensitive issue and nonnegotiable in the islamic republic of iran. The idea stems from masih alinejad who started the online movement my stealthy freedom against this law. My stealthy freedom is an online movement that was commenced in 2014 by masih alinejad, an iranian born journalist and activist based in the united kingdom and the united states. Womens rights and freedoms were established through the leaders wishes for iran to become a more modern, europeanstyle country. Posted on the home page of my stealthy freedom azadiye yavashaki zanan dar iran is the statement. An important aspect of responsible and ethical travel is an awareness of your destination countrys record on political and economic freedoms, civil and political rights, and corruption and press censorship. Nov 29, 2015 iran is better known for its religious conservatism than its history of women s rights. We use cookies to make interactions with our website easy and meaningful, to better understand the use of our services, and to tailor advertising.
This movement has recently gained a lot of momentum on their facebook page and is currently even gaining support from tourists in. Compulsory veiling hijab and stealthy freedom in iran. Employers depict women as less reliable in the workforce as opposed to men. The projects aim is to free women from their often passive victim roles and inspire them to start their own initiatives. Using social media as a news tool women in iran are calling for freedom and equality. Womens statistical status in the islamic republic of iran introduction the advancement and remarkable progress of womens situation during the long years since the victory of the islamic revolution is an undeniable issue deriving from the viewpoints of the. May, 2014 news world middle east iranian women discard their hijabs for stealthy freedom facebook page. Human rights watch said in 2015, womens rights are severely restricted in iran. Londonbased iranian journalist masih alinejad set up a public facebook page, and called it stealthy freedoms of iranian women. Cyberfeminism, iranian style feminist media histories. She encouraged iranian women to share their brief moments of stealthy freedom of not wearing hijab in iran.
The husband is the head of the family, and his wife is legally bound to obey him. Working paper repub, erasmus university repository. But although it might not be obvious to outsiders, the feminist movement in the country has a rich and. Women have been posting pictures of their brief moments of freedom after removing their hijab. Iranian women remove hijab, join stealthy freedoms. Improvement in womens empowerment is a salient issue to achieve the millennium development goals. Mar 26, 2015 a leading journalist and womens rights advocate has called on foreign minister julie bishop to eschew wearing a headscarf when she travels to iran in april. It appears to be a response to a facebook page going by the name my stealthy freedom, where young iranian women share photos of themselves. These stealth moments of pleasure are not called freedom. However, masih alinejad, an exiled iranian journalist, is pushing back through facebook. According to the huffington post, the page was begun by iranian journalist masih alinejad, who posted a photo of herself on facebook in 2009 driving without a hijab, or headscarf. Mothers, nurses, and students women from all walks of life gathered to voice their displeasure at the new policy. National laws are influential factors in promoting womens empowerment.
Nov 18, 2015 2010s beauty look from s 100 years of beauty iran video. Iranian women shed hijabs for stealthy freedoms facebook. The administrators of the page, titled iranian womens freedoms stealthy, say they do not belong to any political group and that the initiative reflects the concerns of iranian women who face legal and social restrictions. The page, titled stealthy freedoms of iranian women, has garnered nearly 180,000 likes in just two weeks. Facebook posts show iranian women tossing hijabs, praising.
My stealthy freedom is the name of a facebook page that demands to protest against compulsory hijab and demonstrate willing of clothing freedom for women in iran. The woman whose hair frightens iran the new york times. And so the facebook campaign my stealthy freedom, which now has over a million fans, was born. The reason is exactly to show that our share of freedom in iran is stealth. This is one of thousands of photos posted to stealthy freedoms of iranian women, a facebook page dedicated to iranian women inside the country who want to share their stealthily taken photos without the veil.
In fact, a huge rally in tehran was organized to campaign for even stricter penalties. Within days the facebook page had more than 100,000 likes, and a campaign was born. These freedoms were retracted after the 1979 iranian revolution. May 16, 2014 iranian women shed hijabs for stealthy freedoms facebook page. Why iranian women are posting pictures of their uncovered. Women in iran had previously been restricted to the private sphere, which includes the care of the home and the children, they have been restricted from mobility, and they needed their husbands permission in order to obtain a job. May 16, 2014 however, there are many women in the country who are clearly desiring freedom from that law as evidenced by a controversial new crowdsourced photography project. Sep 14, 2016 launched by iranian journalist masih alinejad in 2014, my stealthy freedom is a commendable campaign that shows women going against the strict hijab restrictions in iran. Various posts shared by diverse groups of iranian people on the msf. Iranian women discard their hijabs on masih alinejads my. My stealthy freedomwomen in iran photographs and text. Iran womens stealthy freedom dress code backlash youtube.
Stealthy freedom and white wednesdays, which encourage. Stealthy freedoms of iranian women campaign gains steam. Using crosscultural dialogue to strengthen the voices of iranian women, my stealthy freedom organization is a nonprofit public foundation, with no political affiliation, dedicated to promoting the actions of women struggling for their rights in iran. The my stealthy freedom msf movement on social media has garnered over 1. The my stealthy freedom internet campaign is designed to make iranians aware of women s rights in their homeland. The foundation and activity of the page had been described as a.
Iranian women embrace stealthy freedoms with hijabfree. Police in irans capital have arrested 29 women accused of being deceived into joining protests against a law that makes wearing. Msf is an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to the promotion of iranian womens actions to secure their rights. Alinejad has reached out to iranian women on persianlanguage satellite television, through social media and through a website she runs called my stealthy freedom. Womens rights in iran during the years of the shah. The intention of the campaign was to prompt a public discussion on the exercise of freedom in secret. The facebook page, called stealthy freedoms of iranian women, was created by iranian journalist masih alinejad. Alinejad launched stealthy freedoms of iranian women last year, attracting more than half a million likes on facebook in a matter of weeks.
Cyberfeminism, clicktivism, womens movement, iran, social media. May 14, 2014 the campaign to ditch the hijab and obtain the secretive stealthy freedoms has accumulated over 168 thousand likes over the short ten days of its existence. A facebook page called stealthy freedoms of iranian women was recently set up by londonbased iranian journalist masih alinejad. The campaign went viral and, alinejad said, women continue to send videos to her showing themselves without a hijab, documenting harassment on the streets and much more. In what follows, my stealthy freedom azadiye yavashaki zanan dar iran, zanantv, womens watch. Mar 02, 2020 a few weeks ago, we wrote about the stealthy freedoms of iranian women or my stealthy freedom facebook group, where iranian women post photos of themselves not wearing hijabs, or the traditional. She encouraged iranian women to share their brief moments of stealthy freedom of not. My stealthy freedom campaign encourages iranian women to. Iranian women are posting hijabfree photos for stealthy. There are a lot of men in iran who have respect for womens freedom of choice, according to a translation of one post on the my stealthy.
Legally, the following laws apply to women in the islamic republic of iran. The women pictured on it are seen joyfully shedding the muslim garb in various. The campaign quickly attracted international attention and has garnered. This page does not belong to any political group and the initiative reflects the concerns of iranian women, who face legal and social restrictions. Since the iranian revolution in 1979, women in iran have been mandated by law to wear loose clothing, known as the hijab, covering the head and neck and concealing the hair. This grassroots movement, my stealthy freedom, has garnered hundreds of supporters globally and even topped facebook coo sheryl sandbergs. Journalist masih alinejad s groundbreaking facebook page my stealthy freedom msf has encouraged iranian women to discard their hijabs in public and enjoy a brief moment of freedom. Iranian women unveil on stealthy freedoms facebook group. Jul 29, 2016 why iranian men are putting on the veil. Why iranian men are putting on the veil the washington post. Iranian women who posted photos without hijabs face conservative backlash. The objective of this research is to explore the development of digital social and social movements at the local level through iranian womens. Pizza and politics unveiled in iran, women s stealthy freedoms iranian women are legally required to wear the hijab, but women across the nation are taking to facebook to post unveiled stealthy selfies. The facebook page my stealthy freedom is another sign of social medias power.
There had been seeds of protest before, most notably in the online social movement my stealthy freedom, in which iranian women shared images of themselves without the compulsory hijab. May 10, 2014 irans women have launched a facebook page, stealthy freedom, to challenge the islamic republics requirement of hijab head covering in public. Why iranian women are wearing white on wednesdays bbc. Pizza and politics unveiled in iran, womens stealthy freedoms. In iran, women who appear in public without a hijab risk being arrested. Apr 20, 2014 womens empowerment can be defined as a change in the circumstances of a womans life, which enables her to raise her capacity to manage more enriched and rewarding life. A facebook page called stealthy freedoms of iranian women, which was created by a londonbased iranian journalist and encourages iranian women to. The right for individual iranian women to choose whether they want hijab. Freedom comes in all shapes and sizes it can be as monumental as the declaration of independence, as american as apple pie, or as. Iranian women discard their hijabs for stealthy freedom. The objective of this research is to explore the development of digital social and social movements at the local level through iranian womens engagement with social media.
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