People power

"You can kill me as soon as you like, but you cannot stop the emancipationThe process of being set free. of women."

These were the last words of Tahirih, an iconic Persian poet and feminist activist.

She was executed in the middle of the 19th Century in TehranThe capital of Iran. after attending a conference in the village of Badasht, where she removed her veil in public. It was so shocking to the onlookers at the conference that one man supposedly slit his throat in pure horror.

Exactly 170 years after the murder of Tahirih, women in Tehran and beyond are again taking off their veils publicly and even burning them in protest against authorities. The demonstrations are entering their fourth week following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini.¹

Among dozens of deaths, injuries and arrests, Gen ZShort for Generation Z, meaning people born in the late 1990s and early 2000s. schoolgirls have become the unconventional heroes at the forefront of the movement.

One video, supposedly filmed in Shiraz, shows a classroom of courageous teenage girls waving their headscarves in the air whilst yelling "get lost, Basiji" at a representative of Iran's deeply feared paramilitaryAn unofficial group organised like a military force. BasijA paramilitary volunteer group established in Iran in 1979. force.

Other schoolgirls in Iran are shown in clips and images removing their head coverings and chanting slogans such as "death to the dictator" and "woman, life, freedom".

Their protests have not been without tragedy. Numerous young teenagers have died at the hands of authorities. The average age of recently detained protestors is now 15.

This brutality will surprise nobody. Iran's theocraticRelating to a system of government based on a single religion. leaders are known for crushing dissent with an iron fist. Today's demonstrators are facing terrifying and inhumane consequences with little reason to hope for success.

However, some argue that this new wave is different. It has younger participants. "We don't have one leader," adds one protestor. "The beauty and strength of our movement is that every single one of us here is a leader."

In recent years, teenage girls have become figureheads for social change. Malala Yousafzai, Greta Thunberg and X GonzalezAn American activist for gun control who survived a school shooting in 2018. are all examples of teenagers who changed global society.

Some may be pessimistic about shifting views in the deeply patriarchalA society in which adult men have a monopoly on power. In these societies, men tend to hold all political positions, and women and children are also expected to obey the men in their families. society of Iran. Others say, 200 years after her death, Tahirih's words are as important as ever.

Yes: Nobody expected this movement to last as long as it has, but it goes from strength to strength. Despite the terror sparked by the authorities, even teenage girls, those most at risk, are continuing to fight.

No: History shows us that protests in Iran face too much opposition to make real progress. The society is divided, with urban centres and rural areas at odds with each other on cultural values. The protests will not take off.

Or... It remains to be seen whether these protests will be successful. In the meantime, Iranians need all of the support they can get from the rest of the world, particularly the West.