Second Girl of Enghelab Street: I Committed an Illegal Act That I Do Not Accept

Narges Hosseini, known as the 'second girl of Enghelab Street,' emphasized in an interview published on Tuesday, February 12, that she is 'not regretful' about her actions, stating: 'I have acted against a law that I do not accept.' Earlier in January, a video circulated on social media showing a young unveiled woman waving her white scarf on a height in Enghelab Street, Tehran. This act was immediately interpreted as a protest against 'mandatory hijab,' and the woman, whose exact name and identity are still unclear, became known as the 'girl of Enghelab Street.' Shortly thereafter, another young woman went to the same height, hung her scarf on a stick, and waved it. She has been identified as 'Narges Hosseini' and has been dubbed the 'second girl of Enghelab Street.' The Human Rights Campaign in Iran reported on Tuesday via its Twitter account, quoting Nasrin Sotoudeh, Hosseini's lawyer, that this prisoner from Qarchak Varamin prison has refused to pay her bail of 60 million tomans. In the tweet, Narges Hosseini, from Ravand Kashan, stated: 'I have not committed a crime that warrants such bail.' Nasrin Sotoudeh, a lawyer and Iranian human rights advocate, announced on January 30 in an interview with Radio Farda that a bail of 500 million tomans had been set for Narges Hosseini following her arrest. Meanwhile, Narges Hosseini, in an interview with the news website 'Emtedad News,' close to Iranian reformists, insisted on her position, stating that she considers herself 'affiliated' with the Green Movement of Iran, a movement that was 'free of violence.' Hosseini added that she intentionally chose Tuesday to wave her scarf on the stick to 'completely separate myself from [Masih] Alinejad's movement.' Her reference is to the protest movement known as 'White Wednesdays' initiated by Masih Alinejad, a political activist outside Iran, which has attracted the attention of many Iranian women, especially on social media. Hosseini, who introduced herself as a master's student in social sciences at Rasht University, mentioned that during the 2009 electoral campaign, which led to months of protests and the birth of the Green Movement in Iran, she was active in the campaign headquarters of Engineer Mousavi in Kashan. Hosseini stated that a judge in court told her that the young woman who became known as the 'first girl of Enghelab Street' was 'crazy.' The name of the 'girl of Enghelab Street,' who was the first to hang her scarf on a stick, is only circulated in cyberspace: 'Vida Mohammadi,' and Hosseini also refers to her by that name. According to Narges Hosseini, even the prosecutor brought Vida Mohammadi's case to her to see for herself that 'this woman is crazy.' Hosseini added that while protesting the bringing of Vida Mohammadi's case, she stated that Mohammadi's act, 'whether crazy or sane, was a beautiful and symbolic act for me and should not have been silenced.' She further emphasized that 'I have no problem with the government, nor with the system,' but 'I want to choose whether to wear a chador or scarf myself.' According to Article 638 of the Islamic Penal Code, 'Women who appear in public without proper hijab will be sentenced to imprisonment from 10 days to 2 months or fined from 50,000 to 500,000 rials.' In this context, the case of one of the protesters against mandatory hijab 'has been sent to court.' A report republished by a state agency indicated that '49 percent' of the Iranian people do not want mandatory hijab. Narges Mohammadi supported women's right to choose their attire. The spokesperson for the judiciary stated that protesters against mandatory hijab have used industrial materials. Tehran police arrested 29 citizens protesting against mandatory hijab. A member of parliament stated that the girls of Enghelab Street were the result of 'our mistake.' The Tehran prosecutor confirmed the arrest of one of the protesters against mandatory hijab. A bail of 500 million tomans was set for the second girl of Enghelab Street. From the 'girl of Enghelab Street' to the 'girls of Enghelab Street,' there have been other protests against mandatory hijab in Tehran; Nasrin Sotoudeh stated: the girl of Enghelab Street has been released.