On September 16th, 2022, 22-year-old Mahsa Amini was detained and killed for not following the laws put in place by the theocratic Iranian government, stirring a multitude of protests. However, reports suggest that after three months of brutal protest, and the political debate surrounding the national team singing the anthem during the World Cup, the morality police, in charge of the enforcing strict laws following the religion of Islam, including strict dress codes for women, has seemingly been abolished. On Saturday, December 3rd, Attorney General Mohammad Javad Montazeri, a senior Iranian official, told a national news outlet that Iran had parted ways with the morality police, coming with much joy to the Iranian people.
The protests, with the coined phrase “women, life, freedom” has also come with compromise; while officials may also consider changing hijab laws, a momentous step in the eyes of the protestors, it is also very probable that the government may set other precedents in other areas of life. While 99.5% of Iran is Muslim, many in the country do not stand with the theocratic government, that embrace its name of the “Islamic Republic of Iran”.
While the protests started with the killing of Amini, tensions in Iran have been persistent. According to the BBC, there has been unrest over poverty and unemployment for decades in Iran, dating back to the Iranian Revolution in 1979. In 2006, the morality police was put in place by the government, and tensions have steadily risen.
It is clear that while the morality police may have been disbanded by the government, it is very possible that the Iranian people may have to struggle for human rights, and this may just be the tip of the iceberg. It is highly probable that the Iranian government, valuing strong authority, may continue to put other laws in place infringing freedoms Westerners may see as unalienable. While the continuous Iranian protests may have succeeded this time, it is very likely that more may follow in the coming months and/or years.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-63850656
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/04/world/middleeast/iran-morality-police.html
23 comments:
I find it horrifying how governmenets like the Iranian government can exist. A country should never enforce a religion on its people and I am glab to see that there are improvements such as dress code laws being abolished. It is astonishing how these protests have lasted for so long and that even with the morality police gone, Iranians still have to fight to protect natural human rights. No government should be modeled off this and a coutnry should have their people get to choose their religious preference.
A lot of Iranian activists are criticizing the Western media for labeling the Iranian government's actions as "abolishing" the morality police. According to some Iranian activists in the following CNBC article, the morality police were more or less labeled as unnecessary since Iran's judiciary can still enforce strict adherence to Islam. I have to agree with you Adrien, the fight for human rights is nowhere near over, and the decision to "abolish" the morality police could very well just be part of the Iranian government's attempt at diluting international outrage.
https://www.cnbc.com/2022/12/05/iran-denies-abolition-of-morality-police-as-three-day-strike-begins.html
Iran has a long history of human rights issue as the country has become more radicalized over time. A few days ago an Iranian man, Mehran Sumak, was shot by "security forces" while celebrating his own countries defeat in the world cup. Many Iranians took to the streets after Iran's loss as they believed it represented the fall of Iran's regime in the world's eyes. News sources report that he was killed shortly after honking his car's horn. I find it extremely disturbing at how violent the state of Iran currently is. Sumak is one of the nearly 450 people who have been killed by Iranian security forces as the human rights unrest continues to make its way through the country.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-63805284
If confirmed, eliminating the morality police would be a concession to the protests. However, the fight against the regime is still persisting. In a BBC article, an Iranian woman said: "Just because the government has decided to dismantle morality police it doesn't mean the protests are ending." The protests have shifted from one against the strict dress code and the morality police to one against the regime. Many believe that a revolution has sparked, and it will take more than the dismantlement of the morality police to calm the unrest. Until there are some changes to the law and the inhumanity of the Iranian regime, this fight will likely not be over.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-63850656
i agree with what everyone has said so. To add on, many people in the country criticize the fact that media outlets are reporting that the morality police had been disabled only based on the twisted words of one person. In addition, just because the morality police have been disabled doesn't mean that the judiciary won't still do its job monitoring community actions. Finally, just because they are supposedly making changes doesn't mean that the protest will stop or women will stop being controlled. They are going to continually be controlled because they can't go to school or the hospital unless they wear proper attire.
https://abcnews.go.com/International/irans-morality-police-wearing-hijab-mandatory-iranian-women/story?id=94436834
I agree with Grace, eliminating the morality police is just one of many steps towards gaining human rights. With this one success the people will be more motivated to continue the protests, I wonder if the government is going to continue backing off, or will they enforce new restrictions when they've been pressured too much?
The fight for freedom in the middle east and across the world is a long one that deserves continued support and attention from the media. The abolishment of these laws and the morality police is a win for women and equality around the world and really highlights the privilege we are given to be able to live in the United States. While conflicts about gender equality will continue in the Middle East, the continuation of protests and public outcry against inhumane acts have to continue for change to happen. I agree with many of the people in the comments that the authoritarian government has to be continually protested by both the people in the country and internationally to hope for change. The fight will be long, but for the people living in these countries worth it.
It's truly horrifying to see how many people have died over this country's government forcing religion onto their citizens. I'm happy that change is slowly beginning to happen and we're seeing that now ties with the morality police has been abolished, however it's not enough. Iranian women are still forced to wear the Hijab, "even if the country's government decides to abolish the religious police who were in charge of enforcing the dress code". To me this makes no sense, the government got rid of the religious police who were forcing this dress code, but now that they're gone women are still being forced? It seems as though the Iranian government has set this in place that because they got rid of the morality police, they aren't corrupt and treating their citizens horribly anymore. But in reality, they got rid of a single enforcer of the dress code, which doesn't change much. The protests are still happening, and citizens are still being killed everyday. The Islamic Republic law still requires women to wear the hijab, and this one act is not enough. Women in Iran are treated as pets less than human beings, and are constantly toyed around to obey the laws men have created. Getting rid of the morality police furthers civil rights for women, but is seriously not nearly enough to protect these women from the discriminatory acts their country has bestowed upon them.
https://abcnews.go.com/International/irans-morality-police-wearing-hijab-mandatory-iranian-women/story?id=94436834
I think these protests have highlighted the large impact political participation can have on improving policies and governments. Peaceful protesting such as burning hijabs, striking, and refusing to sing Iran's national anthem at the World Cup has drawn a lot of media attention and support internationally, seemingly encouraging the Iran government to disband their morality police. Although I agree that the freedom in Iran is far out of sight, I believe that participating in protests, strikes, and showing support through social media can drastically increase the speed at which these restrictive policies are revoked.
Although this may seem like a crucial step in the right direction, there are many conversations being held that are saying that this supposed abolishment of the morality police may not be as effective as it is made out to be. This may simply be the Iranian government's way to avoid conflict globally, and as stated in this blog, the fight is not over. However, this is an important step in the right direction, and I believe this displays the power of utilizing media to spread awareness on these overlooked issues. Another debate about the credibility of certain problems in Iran has also started since the phrase "thousands are killed" (or something similar to that) has sparked controversy since it isn't 100% accurate. However, I believe that rather than focusing on the specificity of the details, the problem in Iran is so large and consequential that we must focus on the main message of these protests and what they are trying to convey throughout the world.
It's scary to see a government like Iran. The number of women they killed for not wearing their hijab is insane. A 17-year-old Nika Shakarami was not only killed it was noted that they had broken her nose and repeatedly hammered into her skull. Although it's good that they are taking a step in the right direction with the morality police being taken out. This just seems like they did this to fix their image of the country. Women yet still have to wear their hijabs. And the protests along with the loss of innocent blood still continues.
What I admire most about this situation is the bravery of the Iranian national team during the first match of the world cup. Not singing their country's national anthem was such a powerful statement in front of the entire world, signifying their unity against the injustices that women are facing in Iran. After this act, they were threatened by Iranian politicians quoting “[we] will never allow anyone to insult our anthem”. It is reported that the families and players of the Iranian national team were subsequently “threatened with imprisonment and torture if the players fail to “behave” ahead of the match against the USA”. In a harmless form of unity and protest, the regime threatened the lives of families and players of their national team, as the players did end up singing the national anthem in their match against the US. This situation not only should highlight the bravery of the players and protestors but the dangerous and uncontrolled power that the Iranian government holds during this time.
https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/28/football/iran-soccer-family-threats-intl-spt/index.html
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/world-cup-2022-iran-threatens-families-of-players-ahead-of-us-game-report
The role of the media is quite influential in this conflict. What is stated by the Iranian government, and what is perceived and reported by the western media leads to many misconceptions and false assumptions. While the morality police may have been disbanded, the Iranian government may persecute women without using the morality police. Iran has long been plagued with western medias interest, and false reporting, often altering the truth, and ruining awareness efforts. Nevertheless, the issue in Iran is one that violates basic human liberty, and needs to be addressed.
I'm not sure when this was posted by I know that about a day ago, someone was executed in Iran. The victim was connected to the protests. If the morality police are abolished, it doesn't mean much if the government is still executing people who are trying to exercise free speech and fight for their civil rights. It is scary to see this happening in the modern world and I admire the women and men who are brave enough to stand up, even in the face of brutal violence.
I hope the strides made to disband the morality police are true. The Iranian people are risking their lives to enjoy the freedoms we don't think twice about in the U.S. Even in the world cup, the Iranian team initially obstaining from singing the national anthem in support of the women protesters in Iran was inspiring and empowering to watch. More recent videos and images show the Iranian people in resistance to the no dancing, PDA and orders for all women to cover their hair. I still wonder however, will the abolishment of the morality police really be effective in providing the Iranian people with more freedoms, or will the government continue to oppress the Iranian people in ways not obvious to the media, especially with wide censorship of these human rights violations.
Unlike America, where everyone is able to freely express themselves by choosing what they desire to wear, to be in life, and in whatever way will not be killed by the police, in Iran, people, especially women can be killed if they don’t follow the police’s orders, such as not wearing a Hijab and walking on the streets in front of everyone. I understand that these are the country's traditions, but in any way, the government should not disrespect its constituents beliefs and how they want to live their lives because the government’s judgement will just increase opposition in its constituents and therefore create a not safe and secure environment to live in. Additionally, the constant protests that have been occurring in Iran are just creating a more chaotic environment that is full of hate directed at the governing of the government, and I agree that just because some of the protests have been successful, it does not mean that it will continue to be successful because more killings will occur, which increases more hate, and therefore the government will be more annoyed because of the opposition, which will prevent any of the opinions of the constituents to be understood to the fullest extent, which will not create a more improved economy in any way. The people want freedom, so the government should listen to its constituents' voices in order to appeal to the needs of the people through bills that would create more freedom in the country.
I agree with Shreya about the question of whether the morality police are actually being abolished. The Iranian government has done this with the previous revolution in 1979 where they will release propaganda making it seem like they are moving towards change, when in fact, it's usually all talk to get the West off their backs. Western media falls right into this trap and I've seen many posts on platforms such as Instagram spreading this false information about the morality police being abolished. The Iranian Attorney General Mohammad Jafar Montazeri backtracked on his previous statement that morality police had been "shut down by those who created it," saying it was taken out of context. Also, there has been no official order to abolish the morality police. Even if the morality police are abolished, the Iranian government has no shortage of policing units to arrest those violating their laws. As Leia said, people are beginning to be executed, so with or without the presence of the morality police the Iranian government is able to carry out their horrifying agenda. As an Iranian, it's frustrating to see how quickly people dismiss what's going on in Iran from simple news headlines such as this one. These headlines and articles undermine the severity of the situation and the Iranian people's struggle for freedom. This regime has been oppressing the freedoms of Iranian people for decades, that's not new, but now the world seems to finally be waking up and seeing the courage it takes to protest against a government that will arrest, torture, and execute you without hesitation.
https://www.dw.com/en/did-irans-morality-police-really-disband/a-63989380
https://www.cnn.com/2022/12/04/middleeast/iran-hijab-law-under-review-intl/index.html
While this is a step in the right direction, we are also talking about an extreme scenario here where I believe that while the morality police have been disbanded that doesn't stop the government officials from creating laws that do the exact same thing, and while, maybe they change it instead of beating them to death, they arrest them and imprison them for years. It's still the same story and I believe if the Iranian makes one false step like making a law pushing for more extreme ideals it will cause the country to go through another set of protest and I don't believe this time they will slow down I think it can turn into a Civil War and a change in government in the time coming.
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