Narges Mohammadi: The Biggest Transformation Regarding Women's Rights in Iran Has Occurred

Narges Mohammadi, Nobel Peace Prize laureate, emphasized in a message from Evin Prison that "it can be summarized and clearly stated that nothing is the same after the recent movement" and that the "biggest transformation" regarding women's rights has occurred in the public sphere. In her message, published on Monday, October 1, on her Instagram account, she stated, "The biggest transformation in the realm and public perception regarding women's rights has occurred. The length of this transformation compared to other developments in political, social, and cultural arenas is significant and remarkable." According to her, "Mandatory hijab, as one of the last and most important symbols of the ideology of the religious government, has been condemned, rejected, and at the very least questioned not only by intellectuals and non-religious political and social groups but also by religious segments of the population." Ms. Mohammadi also noted that the "public perception" of the mandatory hijab is "not as a religious obligation but as a tool of domination and oppression over women," and that fighting against it is essential for achieving women's rights to free dress and for opposing the domination and tyranny of the religious government. Narges Mohammadi further added: "Democracy and human rights will not enter through a door that is closed to women's rights. If we think about achieving democracy and human rights in Iran, one of the important countries in the war-torn and chaotic Middle East, we must necessarily consider its requirements." Mohammadi's message coincided with the anniversary of the beating that led to the death of Armita Garavand by the Islamic Republic's hijab enforcement forces in the Tehran metro. In previous days, the Guardian Council of the Islamic Republic approved the bill known as "Chastity and Hijab" and sent it to the Islamic Consultative Assembly; an action that sparked widespread reactions on social media, with some users likening it to "slavery laws" that cause "harm" and "suffocation" for women, who make up half of Iran's population. Earlier, the Associated Press reported on the occasion of the second anniversary of Mahsa Amini's death in the custody of the morality police, noting the increasing presence of women without mandatory hijab in public spaces across Iranian cities, stating: "Seeing women without mandatory hijab in Iranian cities is becoming increasingly normal."