By: Andrew Bian
Protests in Iran have become deadly after twenty-two-year-old Mahsa Amini was killed.
Since 1979, Iran has followed a very strict version of the Islamic religion . There are rules for everyone, but many Islamic rules focus on how women must behave and what they can do. In Iran, women are told to wear headscarves, known as hijabs. These hijabs are supposed to cover the head, neck, and hair, and leave the face uncovered. Ms. Amini was wearing a hijab when she was arrested, but reports say it didn’t cover all of her hair.
The death of Ms. Amini made people across the country extremely mad. Protests broke out in many cities across Iran. As a way of protesting, many women took off their hijabs and burned them. Some women have been cutting their hair. Protesters chanted “Woman, Life, Freedom”.
The government quickly tried to break down the protests. They used water cannons on the protesters and even shot at them with bullets. Hundreds of people have been arrested, hundreds have been injured, and at least 50 people have died. The government blocked the internet, so there was no evidence of police violence.
Others joined these protests because there were food shortages, people don’t have jobs, and the prices were high.
Over many days of protests, other people with different opinions gathered at rallies in some cities in Iran, to support the government, instead of being against the government.
These protests didn’t just end in Iran, rallies started all over the world in other major cities. After all this, it all started with one human being, Mahsa Amini, and her hijab.