Nyack High School students benefit from a relatively lenient dress code. According to the Board of Education’s e-policy, “[Individual students and parents] have the right to determine how the student shall dress, providing that such attire is not destructive to school property, complies with requirements for health and safety, and does not interfere with the educational process.” While the Code of Conduct lists a few more specific requirements for appropriate attire, students generally have the freedom to dress however they feel comfortable.
Some students take advantage of this policy by wearing more revealing clothing, while others feel most comfortable dressing modestly. Neither of these options is inherently more liberating than the other -- one can feel free wearing any style of clothing, no matter how much skin it exposes. This is precisely what makes our dress code liberating: the freedom of choice.
The dress code in Iran is not quite as relaxed. Since 1979, Iranian women have been required by law to wear a hijab (a headscarf traditionally worn by Muslim women) and loose-fitting clothing. These laws are enforced by “morality police”, a sector of Iran’s law enforcement agency tasked with prosecuting immodesty. If they find that a woman's clothing is too tight or too much of her hair is exposed, they can punish her with a fine, incarceration, or physical abuse.
To some women, the hijab is a symbol of religious devotion and freedom. However, the inability to choose whether or not to wear one is undeniably a violation of individual liberty that places women at the bottom of an oppressive system. But given recent protests, it’s possible that this system could be reaching its end.
These protests follow the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini. On September 13, Amini was violently arrested by morality police and taken to a detention center, where she collapsed and fell into a coma. She died in the hospital three days later.
“Amini was severely beaten by the security forces in a van and was taken to the capital’s Kasra Hospital due to the severity of her injuries,” said the Associated Press. “Reports indicate that her death was due to a fracture on her skull due to heavy blows to her head.”
Iranian officials have denied all accusations of mistreatment, blaming her collapse on heart failure. But there is no evidence that Amini had health problems prior to her arrest.
Amini’s murder was the breaking point for Iranian women who have faced decades of abuse at the hands of morality police. Women are pushing back against the authoritarian regime and its oppressive practices by publicly burning their hijabs, cutting their hair, and taking to the streets alongside male allies. According to the New York Times, protests have extended into at least 80 cities as of September 26.
Police have met peaceful protestors with extreme violence and a near-total internet blackout.
So how can the United States help? “The most useful thing the US can do is amplify the voices of the protesters and help them evade the regime’s blackouts, the better to communicate with each other and coordinate their protests,” said the Washington Post.
This means the Biden administration must continue to emphasize its solidarity with protestors and condemnation of the regime’s violent response. Furthermore, the United States should sanction the morality police and any other Iranian officials whose response to protests violate human rights.
The Spectrum Staff stands with the anti-authoritarian movement and maintains optimism that the bravery and resilience of the Iranian women will create lasting structural change.