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

Women are cutting their hair and taking off their headscarves to protest the death of Mahsa Amini, a Kurdish woman reportedly fatally beaten in Iranian custody for failing to adhere to Iran's strict headscarf rules.
3 min read
27 September, 2022
Women are at the forefront of the Iran protests [Getty]

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.

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.

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. 

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.