Iran women cut hair, remove headscarves to protest Mahsa Amini death

Iranian women are cutting their hair and taking off their headscarves to protest the death of Mahsa Amini, a Kurdish woman who died after being arrested in Tehran for not wearing her headscarf 'properly'.

Amini’s death, allegedly at the hands of the country's so-called 'morality police', has sparked a wave of rage against the Iranian regime.

Women have been at the forefront of the protests, often filmed cutting their hair, as well as taking off and burning headscarves in public places while chanting anti-government slogans against the Islamic regime and Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the country's Supreme Leader. 

Headscarves and other 'modest dress' are mandatory in Iranian law.

 

These women in #Iran’s northern city of Sari are dancing and burning their headscarves… anti-regime protests have now spread to dozens of cities from north to south, east to west… all triggered by the death of #MahsaAmini while in the custody of Iran’s morality police. pic.twitter.com/BBDvgC5L1w

— Rana Rahimpour (@ranarahimpour) September 20, 2022

Across the globe, people have taken to Twitter and TikTok to show their support for the protestors, including among the Iranian diaspora. 

Some women have posted videos to social media showing them chopping off their hair and razing their heads in solidarity with Amini. Men too have razed their heads.

#TikTok can also be a good source of intelligence, monitoring growing trends and growing uprises & movements. Iranian women from all over the country are stepping outside! #Opiran #Iran #IranProtests #Iranianwomen #IranianLivesMatter #MahsaAmini #HadisNajafi #IranRevolution2022 pic.twitter.com/mOS3qTGSNI

— 𝚃𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚕 𝙾𝚂𝙸𝙽𝚃 𝙰𝚗𝚊𝚕𝚢𝚜𝚝 (@OSINT_Tactical) September 26, 2022

Iranian people are cutting their hair short to protest the killing of a 22 yo girl Mahsa Amini by the police in Iran bc of hijab #MahsaAmini#مهسا_امینی pic.twitter.com/vWRYR14sJ8

— bluple (@yourbluepurple) September 19, 2022

The protests have also spread to different parts of the world, including Kurdish parts of Syria and Iraq, where women are demonstrating in solidarity with Amini and Iranian women. 

Kurdish women in Northern Syria cut their hair and burn their headscarves in solidarity with the women of Iran and in protest of the murder of their Kurdish sister Mahsa Zhina Amini.#MahsaAmini #ZhinaAmini pic.twitter.com/aKJ21gbCns

— Yashar Ali 🐘 یاشار (@yashar) September 27, 2022

Punishments for 'inappropriate' attire in Iran for women include a fine, prison time, or flogging. 

On 16 September, Amini was picked up by Iran’s so-called morality police for wearing her hijab 'improperly'.

She was reportedly 'insulted and tortured', according to her cousin, and later died.

The police have denied allegations that she was beaten, instead claiming she died of 'heart failure'.

Iranian authorities have responded to the nationwide protests with brutal force, killing at least 41 demonstrators.

There are multiple reports of police beating or even shooting the protestors.