From 'Girl of Enghelab Street' to 'Girls of Enghelab Street'

The movement that Vida Mohammadi, known as the 'Girl of Enghelab Street', started by removing her hijab and hanging it on a stick, expanded on Monday, February 9, with at least six individuals in Tehran and one in Isfahan repeating this act by climbing on electricity transmission posts. Last month, during nationwide protests in Iran, a video of a young girl in Enghelab Street, Tehran, was released, showing her climbing on an electricity post and waving her hijab like a flag. This act received widespread attention on social media, and even foreign media referred to it as a symbol of 'opposition to compulsory hijab'. Based on images widely circulated on social media on Monday, at least six girls in various locations in Tehran, including Enghelab Street, and one in Isfahan removed their hijabs and attached them to sticks, replicating this act. The response to these girls' actions has been so extensive that the hashtag 'Girl_of_Enghelab_Street' has changed to 'Girls_of_Enghelab_Street' and has become one of the main trends on Twitter. A Twitter user named 'Hossein Vey' praised this act, stating: 'Girls_of_Enghelab_Street will be a keyword of a new era in Iran's history. How magnificent and meaningful it is that the key to freeing this land from tyranny is in the hands of these young women. I can hardly contain my joy and excitement.' Zahra Safiyari, another user who identified herself as 'chadori' (wearing a chador), stated that her choice to wear a hijab was voluntary, not due to family pressure or environmental coercion. She expressed her happiness about her choice but opposed compulsory hijab, praising the 'Girls_of_Enghelab_Street'. Journalist Reza Haqiqatnezhad tweeted: 'Girls_of_Enghelab_Street defend their right to choose, defending women's rights. This is not about sedition or overthrowing; it's about life, free life in Iran.' Maryam Abdi, another user, pointed out the narrative against this movement: 'First, they mocked them, saying they were crazy, then they said they wanted attention, and now the new story is that it's a foreign project for overthrowing. Aren't you tired of not hearing the real voices of the people?' Amir Ebtehaj also tweeted: 'The protest action of the so-called Girls_of_Enghelab_Street has had an extraordinary impact relative to the number of activists. About 5-6 people performed an action that had a significant response and impact. The people themselves are protesting and spreading the news. They are independent of state media and rely on the power of social networks!' On the opposite side, a user named Seyyed Mojtaba Hosseini Nasab mocked the action, tweeting that 'these girls are just looking for husbands, Girls_of_Enghelab_Street.' Jamileh Kadivar, a political activist, criticized compulsory hijab in a short note titled 'A few points about the freedom of clothing choice', urging the Islamic Republic authorities to grant women and girls the right to choose their clothing. She wrote on her Facebook page: 'As someone who has freely chosen my clothing and lifestyle, I believe that the government should tolerate and grant women and girls the right to choose their clothing. Four decades of compulsion have shown that the government's policy in this regard has been a failed policy.' No reports have yet emerged regarding the potential reactions of Islamic Republic officials to anti-hijab movements on Monday. However, the German news agency reported, citing individuals identified as 'eyewitnesses', that six of the 'Girls_of_Enghelab_Street' were arrested. No independent sources have confirmed or denied this news. The news agency stated that these individuals were arrested by law enforcement. According to the laws of the Islamic Republic of Iran, women and girls over the age of 9 are required to wear hijab, or they face imprisonment and fines. Vida Mohammadi, who initiated such a movement last month, was arrested twice by the police, but Reza Khandan, the husband of Nasrin Sotoudeh, a lawyer and human rights activist, announced on Monday that Ms. Mohammadi has been released. Ms. Sotoudeh wrote on her Facebook page regarding the protest movement of the 'Girls_of_Enghelab_Street': 'Today I learned that another girl of the revolution has gone to the same place and raised her hijab on a stick. The message from this fellow citizen is clear to us; many girls and women are fed up with this compulsion. Let women manage their own bodies.'