The protests in Iran, which ignited at the end of last year, continue to gain momentum despite the government’s crackdown and growing death toll. Among the most remarkable protesters are young Iranian women, who epitomize the struggle against one of the world’s most oppressive regimes.
When we think of “Iranian women,” images of those cloaked in hijabs and burqas may come to mind. Yet, it’s important to remember that prior to the 1979 Islamic Revolution, women in Iran enjoyed considerable personal freedom. They wore fashionable Western attire, proudly revealed their faces, arms, and legs in public, and had access to abundant educational opportunities. Many women earned college degrees, held professional jobs, started businesses, and socialized freely with men.
However, the 1979 Islamic Revolution, spearheaded by secular intellectuals, led to the dramatic overthrow of the Shah, the last Persian monarch of Iran, and ushered in the return of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. Khomeini, once a philosophy professor in Qom, had been exiled in 1964 for resisting the Shah’s pro-Western economic and cultural reforms. As Supreme Leader, Khomeini transformed Iran into a staunch anti-Western Islamist theocracy. Following his death in 1989, Ali Khamenei ascended to power, perpetuating a regime that has not only become increasingly totalitarian but also is a key sponsor of terrorism across the Middle East and beyond.
The Islamic state has implemented some of the most oppressive policies against women. The regime voided the Family Protection Act, which previously guaranteed women’s rights in marriage. Women are mandated to wear the hijab in public, and a new government agency was created, along with mosque-based committees, to ruthlessly enforce Islamic dress and behavior codes, often meting out arbitrary “justice.”
Those who dare to defy the dress code are treated as criminals and subjected to harsh penalties. American-Iranian journalist and activist Masih Alinejad highlights that a simple act, such as showing her hair, could result in an Iranian woman receiving lashes or even imprisonment. Alinejad reported that in a single year, the Iranian morality police arrested over three million women. Furthermore, in 2008, Iranian authorities charged several women’s rights activists with “threatening national security” and “disrupting public order,” revealing the regime’s relentless crackdown on women’s rights and freedoms.
In September 2022, Mahsa Amini, a vibrant 22-year-old Iranian woman, died in police custody after being arrested and beaten by the morality police for having a few strands of hair visible under her headscarf. Her tragic death ignited massive protests throughout 2022, known as the “Women, Life, Freedom” uprising. Leading these demonstrations were courageous young women who risked their safety to stand against oppressive policies, such as the mandatory hijab, in pursuit of the freedoms that their mothers and grandmothers once cherished. Despite their bravery, the Iranian security forces brutally suppressed the movement.
The latest wave of protests that began on Dec. 28 was sparked by acute economic hardship, including rampant inflation (often exceeding 50 percent), a dramatic collapse of the Iranian rial (reaching record lows against the U.S. dollar), and widespread corruption. In a misguided attempt to appease the discontent, President Masoud Pezeshkian offered a meager monthly payment equivalent to only $7, a figure more insulting than helpful.
The protests occur against a backdrop of regime vulnerability after the U.S. bombing of three nuclear sites last June and Iran’s humiliating defeat in a 12-day war with Israel. Many protesters believe that this moment presents a rare opportunity to topple Khamenei and dismantle the theocratic regime. The protests have since evolved into a broad challenge to the Islamic Republic’s theocratic rule. Demonstrators boldly shouted “Death to the dictator” and “Death to Khamenei,” while some called for the return of Reza Pahlavi, son of the deposed Shah.
These brave Iranian women deserve global attention and support. Yet, many Western feminists not only have remained silent about the oppressions Iranian women have long endured, but also have betrayed Iranian women by embracing militant Islam instead.
In the wake of Hamas’ brutal assault on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, which included horrific sexual violence, American feminist Judith Butler shockingly referred to rape as “an act of armed resistance.” Campus protests have seen many female college students supporting Hamas while condemning Israel, and some young liberal women were filmed tearing down posters of hostages taken by Hamas, demonstrating a disconcerting alignment with violence.
Minnesota’s Democratic Lieutenant Gov. Peggy Flanagan, a Catholic, went so far as to don a hijab in solidarity with Somali immigrants following massive fraud being uncovered in the state, while also criticizing federal law enforcement. All these instances raise questions about the values and priorities within the Western feminist movement today.
It seems that Western feminists are only interested in discussing women’s rights when they can blame it on Trump, the United States, or Israel. Iranian dissident Sana Ebrahimi aptly highlighted their hypocrisy when she remarked: “Today, we Iranians are faced with something truly unbelievable.. Western, liberal, ‘woke’ feminists, clueless about the brutal reality in our country, consistently stand with our oppressors under the delusion of saviorism.”
Fortunately, Iranian women and fellow protestors have found a more genuine ally. President Trump has shown support for Iranian protestors, warning the regime against violent crackdowns or facing dire consequences.
Zineb Riboua, a research fellow at the Hudson Institute, expressed confidence in the Iranian protestors on X, writing, “The protests in Iran will succeed for a straightforward reason: Trump is in charge. Not Biden, not Obama, but Trump. And that, ladies and gentlemen, changes everything.”
Following the U.S. raid that captured Venezuela’s socialist dictator Nicolás Maduro, Khamenei of Iran should take Trump’s warnings seriously.
