Iranian woman’s death ignites protests: Forcing hijab by violence contradicts Islam

Although Islam orders women to wear a veil or hijab (headcover), it totally rejects using violence when it comes to applying its rulings, a basic Islamic rule that has reportedly not been followed by Iranian police in dealing with unveiled women.

Mahsa Amini, 22, died in a hospital after she was reportedly beaten by Iranian morality police on September 16 in Vozara Station for not complying with the rules of wearing the hijab, sparking anger against the imposition of the veil.

Amini, a Kurd, was travelling with her family from Iran’s Kurdistan region to Tehran, where she was taken by the morality police, said the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) in a statement on September 16.

According to HRANA, eyewitnesses said that the police told Amini’s family that she would be released in an hour. However, she was transported to Kasra hospital in Tehran a few hours later, pushing the relatives to protest when they saw her condition. 

The eyewitnesses added that the police used violence and pepper spray to silence her family.

Nonetheless, the Iranian police issued a statement denying beating Amini and released CCTV footage showing that Amini suddenly collapsed on a chair when she was speaking to a policewoman. The police claimed that she suffered “a heart attack and was immediately taken to a hospital, where she died on Friday.”

However, BBC reported that eyewitnesses said that Amini was beaten inside the police car and then went into a coma later.

A group of 56 lawyers of the Kurdistan Human Rights Network announced their support and readiness to legally represent the case until the final results of the investigations into the reasons of Amini’s death are revealed.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi ordered an investigation into the killing of Amini, said the state-owned news agency IRNA.

On the day of her funeral at her hometown Saqqez on Sunday, dozens of women and girls protested against the rule of covering heads, which has been in place since the Iranian revolution in 1979. Protesters chanted against the Iranian regime, saying, “Death to the dictator,” while other video footage showed police opening fire to disperse the protests.

The Kurdistan Human Rights Network, a France-based independent NGO that is a member of the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty since 2017, reported that dozens of protesters were injured on the second day of their demonstrations since the death of Amini, adding that more than 15 civilians were arrested and taken to unknown places by the police in Sanandaj city. The organization said the internet was cut off as well.

In addition, dozens of women and girls took to social media to cut their hair and uncover their heads, Iranian journalist Masih Alinejad tweeted, saying, “From the age of 7 if we don’t cover our hair we won’t be able to go to school or get a job. We are fed up with this gender apartheid regime.”

Resorting to violence in applying the Islamic rules and traditions completely contravenes Islam, as has been confirmed by religious scholars.

The hijab is mandatory for women as stipulated in the Quran and the Prophetic Sunnah, as well as the consensus of the Islamic jurists, said Atiya Lashine, member of the Fatwa Committee at Al-Azhar and professor of jurisprudence at the Faculty of Fundamentals of Religion at Al-Azhar University. He recited the Quranic verse “And tell the believing women to subdue their eyes, and maintain their chastity. They shall not reveal any parts of their bodies, except that which is necessary.”

He added to Jusoor Post that Islamic Sharia law should not be applied with the absence of jurisprudence of priorities or the absence of gradualism in legislation. 

Islam orders women to wear hijab voluntarily, and in case the Muslim girl/woman would not abide by wearing it, she would be sinful, said Prof. Naẓīr Muḥammad Ayad, Secretary General of the Islamic Academy, in comments to Jusoor Post.

However, “It is impermissible to force it [hijab] on her because […] it will result in harms,” Ayad said, adding that forcing women to wear hijab may lead to repulsion from it, or a woman could wear it just out of fear from her guardian.

Ayad added that dawaa (calling people to embrace Islam and its teachings) through the use of violence and severity contradicts the essence of Islam. As evidence, he recited the Quranic verse {You shall invite to the path of your Lord with wisdom and kind enlightenment, and debate with them in the best possible manner. Your Lord knows best who has strayed from His path, and He knows best who are the guided ones} [Surat al-Nahl: 125].

“Dawaa with violence in the name of Islam is rejected by Islam itself. Instead, Islam calls for peace, security and safety,” Ayad said, adding that “the Prophet Muhammad says, ‘the Muslim is the one from whose tongue and hands the Muslims are safe.’”