Iran's Green Movement: The Woman's Veil

According to HuffingtonPost, "Iran's Green Movement has embraced a new symbol of protest: the woman's veil. In an unprecedented show of support for women's rights, Iranian men have posted photos of themselves wearing the head covering typically worn by Muslim women. The images show hundreds of men clad in bright green headscarves posing mockingly for the camera."

Wow!

This campaign was sparked by the government's attempt to humiliate leading student activist Majid Tavakoli. Authorities arrested Tavakoli after he delivered a fiery anti-government speech during Iran's Student Day demonstrations on December 7th. Following his detention, the semi-official Fars News Agency published photos of him wearing a woman's veil, claiming that he had been found trying to escape from campus using it as a disguise. Many members of the opposition believe the photos were fabricated to discredit and disgrace the young activist.

In the Beginning of the Video she states:

She is reading few sentences from one of the early manifests of the movement written by Mousavi. it says:
What is broadcasted by the government is far from what is actually going on in our real life. They arrest our sons and daughters, they try to represent them as criminals and ridicule them in the media, however in peoples heart they have already turned to heroes.

Such amazing words!

The last sentences pose this question, "Who will be the final victorious of this confrontation?"

According to the HuffingtonPost writer Nasim Novin, "The world was surprised to see women at the forefront of the Green Movement, going face to face with baton-wielding Basij militiamen. The truth is, Iranian women are fearless because they have withstood years of harassment by the morality police who try to enforce Islamic dress and comportment upon them. They have fought tirelessly for democratic reform because they have the most to gain from it. For the first time, Iranian men have also organized to promote gender equality."

As an Iranian woman, I am both amused and heartened by their rather unconventional show of support. I would even venture to say that this campaign marks an important milestone in the struggle for women's rights in Iran.

One Iranian blogger who calls himself Blondie writes:

"With great pride I will wear women's clothing, and I am proud to fashion myself as an Iranian women. Do you know why Dictator? Because they were the ones who demanded their rights from the very beginning...From now on, in a show of respect towards Iranian women and girls, I will take a veil with me as a symbol of protest to every demonstration I attend, whether in the streets or in the university."

My Thoughts...

This campaign really pulled my heart strings and I was so excited to see Men work hard to make sure the rights of women was met in their communities. This is both a great day for Iranian women and the culture as a whole. It shows that there is a struggle, and with great pride they will have support to make sure they are not mistreated and victimized based on Gender.

To read more of theHuffington Post Article, click here.