The beginning of September marked a memorable period in both Iranian politics and civil society. On Sept. 16, the tragic death of Iranian woman Mahsa Amini sparked both domestic and international outrage. Amini was arrested for allegedly breaking hijab rules and later passed away in law enforcement’s custody. 

Since the formation of the modern Iran state after the 1979 revolution against the Shah, Iran has gradually developed into a strict Islamic state, a state with strict morality and religious laws, often with unequal discrimination oriented towards women. Iran’s Islamic regime and laws are circulated around their own concept of morality and their interpretation of Islam, including the requirement of women to fully cover their heads in public. When Amini was allegedly spotted by the Iranian morality police with hair showing from underneath her hijab, she was immediately taken into custody.

Reports at this moment indicate that Amini suffered multiple blows to the head, however, Iranian police are still rejecting these allegations. Instead, the police are stating that Amini suffered a fatal heart attack after being taken to the hospital.

Consequently, the already fed up Iranian civil society, especially women, have taken the death of Amini as an opportunity to protest and display their discontentment with the Islamic state. Women are burning their hijabs both in support of Amini and in protest to the current government. Iran’s protests thus far have been extraordinarily unique because it is not just a civil disorder involving women; it is an upheaval about women and women’s freedoms. It affects their freedoms to dress however they would like and to live life freely; freedoms that many people in the West take for granted everyday. The women-led protests have attracted worldwide attention, and nations across the globe are protesting in support. 

In Sherbrooke on Oct. 1, there was a protest in solidarity with Iranian women and in protest to the Iranian regime, indicating that women’s freedom of apparel and dress is a fundamental human right. Injustice to women in Iran is protested as injustice to women everywhere. The protest was organized by Nastaran Golchin, an Iranian-Canadian, and was carried out in a peaceful manner through Sherbrooke.

Protestors met at the corner of Rue King Ouest and Boulevard Jacques-Cartier, and marched towards Marché de la Gare. In an interview with The Sherbrooke Record and also explained in an article written by Michael Boriero, Golchin goes into great detail of what is actually happening in Iran right now. Iranians have been cut off from internet services, cutting off any communication they might have had with the outside world and hindering any international media that may be covering the protests. 

In addition to the censorship, Iranian officials are asking family members of those who have died in police custody to publicly state and admit that their loved one actually passed away from a heart attack. As an Iranian-Canadian, Golchin still has family living in Iran who have been attempting to communicate as much information as they can to her. She is now educating the city of Sherbrooke and the Eastern Townships on the importance of these protests, as displayed with her organization of the Sherbrooke protest.

These protests are more than just protests, they are a symbol of the extreme oppression women in Iran have been experiencing under each regime. In addition to Sherbrooke, there have been protests in major cities on nearly every continent.

Such oppression is not unique to Iran and is unfortunately a tragic reality for many countries in the Middle East. It is unknown whether these protests will have a domino effect on Middle East countries such as Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan. This may be a step in the direction towards women’s liberation.