The 'Girls of Revolution Street'; A Protest That Wasn't Lost in the Noise

On December 27, the anniversary of a protest movement against mandatory hijab in Iran, later named 'Girls of Revolution Street', was recalled and celebrated on social media amidst the silence of Persian-language media inside the country. Journalist Masih Ali-Nadzh shared videos on her Twitter page, stating that a number of Iranian women opposing the mandatory hijab removed their headscarves in honor of the anniversary, which she described as a sign of the 'vitality of this movement'. The events of December 27, 2017, occurred just days before widespread protests in over a hundred cities in Iran. Vida Mohammadi, known as the 'Girl of Revolution Street', symbolically waved a white headscarf on a stick at the intersection of Revolution Street and Vasal Shirazi in Tehran, protesting the mandatory hijab. Her act sparked a movement that came to be known as 'Girls of Revolution Street'. A few days after Vida's action, similar protests against the mandatory hijab emerged in the same area and other cities in Iran, with images and videos shared widely on social media. The Iranian police, in response to this movement, had to alter the platforms where Vida stood to prevent protesting women from standing on them. In some videos shared on social media, police violently pulled women down from heights, including Maryam Shari'atmadari, whose leg was reportedly broken after being thrown down by the police. Notably, the videos showed the encouragement of protesting women by onlookers, booing of police officers, and instances of verbal confrontations with them, as well as men joining the movement against the mandatory hijab. This movement, described as a form of 'civil disobedience', was repeated to such an extent that from December 27 to February 1, 2018, according to the Tehran Police Information Center, 29 people were arrested in connection with it. Some of the detainees remain anonymous, but besides Vida Mohammadi, whose fate is unknown, other women such as Narges Hosseini, Azam Jangravi, Shaparak Shajari Zadeh, Maryam Shari'atmadari, and Hamraz Sadeqi were among those arrested. Following the expansion of the 'Girls of Revolution Street' movement across various parts of Iran, security officials issued threatening warnings that the charges against protesters would no longer be limited to 'non-compliance with hijab regulations' but would also include 'encouraging corruption'. This threat implied that protesters could face heavier sentences instead of just two months in prison or fines. Judicial and security officials of the Islamic Republic, such as Gholamhossein Mohseni Eje'i, the judiciary spokesperson, attempted to portray the protesters as 'deceived', 'children', and 'users of synthetic drugs', or claimed their affiliation with 'gangs and organizations'. Some clerics, such as Hossein Noori Hamadani, labeled these girls as 'debris', and Ahmad Khatami, the Friday prayer leader of Tehran, harshly criticized the state of hijab in Iran. The platform where Vida Mohammadi stood and the protest movement 'Girls of Revolution Street' began from there. Although the officials of the Islamic Republic tried to downplay public protests against the mandatory hijab in Iran, the issue gained enough importance that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the leader of Iran, mentioned it on March 8, 2018, in a gathering of mourners. He said: '{Enemies} spent so much cost, thought, and propaganda that as a result, a few girls were deceived and took off their headscarves in corners, and all their efforts were summarized in this small and insignificant result that this is not an issue.' The leader of the Islamic Republic also clarified the responsibilities of officials in dealing with this phenomenon, stating: 'The Islamic system does not care about a person who does not wear hijab in their home and in front of non-mahram, but what is done in public is actually public work and education, and it creates obligations for the system that arises from Islam.' Nevertheless, despite the arrests, the 'Girls of Revolution Street' movement did not fade away and continued sporadically, as evidenced by an incident on October 29 of this year, when a young woman, whose identity was not revealed, was arrested by law enforcement for removing her hijab in Revolution Square. On the anniversary of the 'Girls of Revolution Street' movement, Persian-speaking social media users, including Twitter, praised this movement contrary to the silence of domestic media. Hossein Ronaghi tweeted: 'A year ago on this day, a brave, bold, and steadfast woman in Revolution Square silently shouted freedom with a look towards a bright tomorrow. She is a symbol of demanding and acting to achieve rightful and legitimate demands based on freedom, human rights, and the right to choose.' Sam Vaqti also wrote: 'On the first anniversary of the Girls of Revolution Street, I repeatedly ask myself, why should Vida Mohammadi want me to know where she is? Wasn't I there when she was arrested, beaten, and detained? Don't I deserve to know where she is? Don't you ask yourselves?' Ali Ishtari, a member of 'Farshgard', also wrote: 'On the first anniversary of the Girls of Revolution Street, I wish I knew where Vida Mohammadi is and could tell her how much I appreciate her courage. Vida may not see this, but Azam Jangravi, Maryam Shari'atmadari, and Shaparak Shajari Zadeh will. I tell them that with the strength of women like you, there is no doubt that we will take back and rebuild Iran.' Mehdi Shamsiri tweeted: 'A year has passed since the brave movement of the Girls of Revolution Street. A movement that quickly multiplied. A movement that instilled fear in the heart of the government. We must learn courage and unity from them, who risked everything and went up on the platform to achieve their goal. Only through unity does courage take shape within us.' Since its inception, the Islamic Republic has shown that it is inflexible regarding optional dress, despite spending enormous amounts on promoting hijab and combating improper hijab. Nevertheless, after 40 years of these governmental efforts, Farshteh Rouh Afza, the Deputy of Women of the Cultural Revolution Council, recently stated that hijab in Iran is 'rapidly declining' and 'this decline will certainly continue'.