(Tehran) As they take to the streets of Tehran every evening to the cries of “Woman, life and freedom”, Iranian women feel that they have taken their lives in hand and are also proud to have brought men in their wake.
Posted at 12:50 p.m.
Since September 16, many Iranian women have been demonstrating at night in the major cities of Iran, including the capital, to protest against the death of Mahsa Amini, three days after her arrest by the morality police.
This 22-year-old woman was accused of having violated the dress code of the Islamic Republic, which notably obliges all women to wear the veil.
“A woman who takes to the streets and takes charge of her life is definitely a strong woman,” Farideh, 64, told AFP with a smile.
For her, no doubt, “women will get what they ask for”, including the right to wear the clothes they want, including the veil. It remains to know “when and how”. “I can’t say for sure,” she concedes.
But for this painter, what already constitutes a success is the fact of having succeeded, in a patriarchal society, in convincing the men to join the women in the protests.
“Of course men and husbands support us because our problems are not different. Next to every woman there is a man in the street demonstrating. Our women are the sisters and mothers of our men,” she explains in the shopping district of Tajrich.
In this sector of the upscale north of the capital, several women walk bareheaded, a scarf resting on their shoulders.
“When women are involved, husbands are also naturally involved”, also assures Elahé, 66 years old.
For this housewife, “women should not be underestimated, they are strong”. “I think that eventually our voice will be heard,” she adds confidently.
Employed in the private sector, Pouya believes that the authorities should be attentive to the demands made during the demonstrations. “When you ignore people ‘too long’ at the slightest strain, the issues come out and society can crack,” he says.
When asked whether the women’s demands are justified, the 50-year-old man hesitates, however.
“I am a man who was born and raised in a third world country. I am not very open to the demands of women,” he confides.
“But women […] have claims they intend to make. As long as they don’t break the rules of traditional society, their demands should be met,” he said, not specifying whether he would accept women going out without veils.