Protests in Oklahoma, across world planned to support women’s rights in Middle East
By Jason Burger
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EDMOND, Oklahoma (KOCO) — Protests in Oklahoma and across the world have been planned to support women’s rights in the Middle East.
Women across the world are cutting off their hair and burning head coverings since a woman passed away in Iran. She died in custody after she was arrested by the country’s morality police, for not wearing her hijab correctly.
KOCO 5 spoke with an Edmond woman who is all too familiar with the situation.
“I cannot imagine growing up there and it’s your daily life. It’s crazy,” said Mahsa Rezaian, an Iranian-American.
From her home in Edmond, Rezaian has been watching the latest protests over in Iran after a 22-year-old woman died in custody. Her alleged crime was not wearing her hijab correctly.
“To have fear for their lives just walking down the street, to get groceries, to go to school, to see their friends. It’s very disheartening,” Rezaian said.
Women in Iran have a strict dress code. They must cover their hair with a hijab, enforced by the nation’s “morality police.”
The country has been in an uproar since last week with intense protests.
“Before the revolution, women could wear whatever they wanted and do whatever they wanted. And now, it’s one of the strictest policies when it comes to the hijab, and the morality police was created to hurt women,” Rezaian said.
For her, it hits close to home. When she was just 13 years old, she took a trip to Iran.
“When I was in the airport, I was wearing the hijab, and I had a tiny piece of my bang (hair) that was dangling from it. The lady at the counter started yelling at me and my mom and was very aggressive,” Rezaian said.
Just one strand of hair out of place was all it took for someone to point out the letter of the Iranian law.
“She told us basically have a seat don’t move, and when the flight takes off you can get up and go to the gate but otherwise don’t move,” Rezaian said.
Protests here in Oklahoma and across the world have been planned to support women’s rights in the Middle East.
“They’re not free to pretty much do anything or have any human rights,” Rezaian said.
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