In Iran, the hijab has taken its toll. First, a woman named Mahsa Amini, then others.
Because Mahsa Amini is “incompetent” wearing the hijab, the eyes of the world are now focusing on the land of the mullahs. The story begins when on Tuesday, September 13, 2022; Mahsa was in Tehran, the capital of Iran. That day Mahsa was arrested by the Islamic Republic’s “morality” police, aka. “the Hijab Police”. The reason is that this beautiful young girl is considered “imperfect” to cover her head so that her beautiful hair is blown by the wind and disturbs the eyes of men.
That day she was immediately taken away by the moral police and thrown into custody. I don’t know what happened; Mahsa fainted there. She was then referred to a hospital for treatment. But unfortunately, Mahsa Amini’s life could not be saved, and three days later, she was declared dead.
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Surprisingly, the news of Mahsa Amini’s death immediately sparked massive demonstrations and riots in almost all of Iran. This is because many Iranians in various regions have left their homes to join protests to vent their anger. The outburst of anger, among others, was carried out by female demonstrators by removing their headscarves and setting them on fire. In fact, they also perform haircuts in public places.
It was as if the female demonstrators were about to say: the hijab and hair were the cause of Mahsa Amini’s death. And, what happened to Mahsa Amini could happen to them. But, everyone seemed to be waiting their turn.
And sure enough. Mahsa Amini is not the only victim. Many people died in the wave of protests, both from the protesters and the authorities. This is because the officers responded to the wave of demonstrations with a strong attitude, triggering clashes between the two sides in various places. During the nearly two-week chaos, official Iranian government sources put 17 people dead. However, independent sources put the death toll at 36. Some even say 50!
There is no idea how this wave of anger will end. And will the Iranian government be willing to change its policies? However, because the Iranian authorities still insist that the protesters’ actions are illegal, all those involved in the demonstrations will be brought to justice. Meanwhile, Iranians, especially activists, will continue to demand fundamental rights and protection of people’s dignity.
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This wave of demonstrations is said to be the largest since 2019. In November 2019, Iran was rocked by large demonstrations in which around 100 demonstrators were killed. However, at that time, the protest triggered an increase in fuel oil prices by up to 50 per cent.
What was surprising is that even though the hijab was already familiar with the Iranian people’s tradition, even before the country was founded. Iran, like Saudi Arabia or other religious (Islamic) countries, from the beginning, has implemented Islamic law, or its positive rules are sourced and based on the teachings of sharia. One of them is the matter of the hijab.
In the history of modern countries, Iran and Saudi Arabia are known as the most strict countries in implementing Islamic law. The difference is that Saudi Arabia follows the Wahhabi line, while Iran is officially Shia. Therefore, the relationship between the two countries has always been “hot and cold” in regional geopolitics. Even so, the world knows that both countries apply Islamic law strictly, including how women should dress and act in public spaces.
Unlike in Iran, recently, the Saudi Arabian authorities have begun to “relax” the regulations that have been considered to limit women’s fundamental rights and roles in public spaces. For example, women can drive their own vehicles on public roads. Saudi Arabian women are also allowed to work in fields that have been “monopolized” by men. Saudi Arabian women can also hang out in open areas to watch football or prance while watching concerts.
Most recently, the Saudi Arabian authorities revoked the law requiring women to wear the hijab in public spaces. Don’t confuse it with forbidding women to wear the hijab, but the rules that require it are abolished. This means that women in Saudi Arabia may not wear the hijab. Hijab or not, the decision is left to each individual. The state does not interfere with the beliefs of its people.
Therefore, these days in the territory of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, we start seeing many women walk around in public spaces without wearing a headscarf or hijab. Moreover, fashionable makeup on their hair is no longer a strange sight. The “relaxation” is intended to give women a more significant contribution to Saudi Arabia’s development program, Vision 2030.
Did what happened in Saudi Arabia contribute to the massive wave of protests in Iran that was triggered by the death of Mahsa Amini? Are Iranian women “jealous” of the freedoms their sisters have in Saudi Arabia?
There may be a correlation between what is happening in Saudi Arabia and Iran. However, it is still a bit difficult to be able to draw a firm common thread. We can only give a relative interpretation of women’s anger by symbolizing the burning of the headscarf and a lot of haircuts.
And what happened in these two countries, from Indonesia’s point of view, where most of the population is also Muslim, is unique. The current situation in Saudi Arabia is arguably moving closer to what has been manifested in Indonesia. Its people are free to carry out religious orders according to their respective beliefs. At the same time, some groups of Indonesian people want their country to be like Iran, for example, where the state must intervene in regulating and supervising the religion of its people. Meanwhile, with the burning of the headscarf and lots of haircuts, Iranians seem to turn to Saudi Arabia.
This triangular constellation illustrates what I mean in an article entitled “Hijab is a Right, Not an Obligation” on Duniasantri.co some time ago. In the eyes of Iranian law, the veil is an obligation, not a right. In the eyes of Saudi Arabia’s law, the hijab was originally an obligation. Still, now it is “relaxed” to become a right.
Unlike Iran or Saudi Arabia, since Indonesia is a Republic, we have placed the case of worship according to their respective religions and beliefs in the rights domain, not obligations. This has happened since the “seven words” in Jakarta’s Charter were crossed out before being made the Preamble of the 1945 Constitution.
Suppose the seven words are passed, namely “with the obligation to carry out Islamic law for its adherents”. In that case, today, Indonesia will undoubtedly be like Iran. Everywhere there will be moral polices to monitor all Muslims in the country so that they are obedient in carrying out the Shari’a. For example, suppose one day, a senile grandmother forgets to wear a headscarf when buying salted fish at the market. In that case, she will be taken to the police station, as happened to Mahsa Amini. Because, at the people’s market, the ones who are always on guard are not only parking attendants and palak builders but also the moral police.
We are fortunate that Indonesia is still Indonesia. Hopefully, what happened to Mahsa Amini will never happen here.