Masih Alinejad is an Iranian journalist who has been campaigning for women’s rights through the online campaign My Stealthy Freedom. Hoping to embrace the power of social media, the campaign aims to advocate for female’s rights to dress as they please. This relates to laws that were imposed in 1979 that forced female Iranians to cover their hair when in public. Now, females are sharing photographs without their hair covered by a hijab on social media, whilst males are donning headscarves to cover their own hair in an act of solidarity- they share their support by using the hashtag #MeninHijab.
As Alinejad explains on a Facebook post, “When my female cousins saw that I was wearing their headscarf, they couldn’t help laughing. I asked them, does it look so funny on me? I really love and respect my cousins. I think that one should not talk about freedom if she/he supports the idea of restricting other people’s freedom.”
He goes on to explain how the hijab is one of many symbols that showcase deserved liberties that are not permitted by the government, with a particular emphasis on constricting women’s rights.
“We should not treat women as objects,” he writes. “Just like many educated women in the world, Iranian women should live in full enjoyment of their rights and they should be the ones determining what to wear.”
My Stealthy Freedom: Website | Facebook Masih Alinejad: Twitter via [Lost At E Minor]
All images via My Stealthy Freedom.
