Sevil Suleymani: The Headscarf as a Symbol of the Violation of Iranian Women's Right to Choose

Dilshad Aliyarli - Voice of America, February 3, 2018

Images of women removing their headscarves as a symbol of protests in Iran, which began in late last year and continued into this year, have been frequently shared on social media in recent days. Observers have noted the increasing participation of women in recent protests. Sevil Suleymani, a South Azerbaijani women's rights advocate living in the U.S., spoke about the participation of Iranian women in protest movements and the issues faced by Azerbaijani women. Suleymani, who holds a master's degree in women's rights from the University of California, San Diego, has been researching the feminist movement in Iran and the situation of Azerbaijani women.

According to Sevil Suleymani, the protests of Iranian women are not only against the headscarf but also against their deprivation of the right to choose.

“These are women who stand for the right to choose. These are women who are against forced choices.”

Women in Iran are protesting against compulsory hijab.

Suleymani stated that throughout history, women have generally not had the right to choose whether to wear the headscarf.

“Reza Shah wanted to modernize the country. In order to be modern, he forced women to remove their veils and take off their chadors. This government, on the other hand, forces women to cover up. In between, no one asks the woman, ‘Do you want to keep this veil, or do you want to take it off?’”

Sevil Suleymani explains why the headscarf has become a symbol.

“In Iran, girls start wearing the headscarf at the age of 7. From the moment they start school, they are forced to wear it. So, it’s not a choice. At that age, you are not capable of making such a choice. Before having other rights, before your other rights are violated, the headscarf begins. Symbolically, the headscarf represents forced control over you in Iran. This is why these women are against the violation of their rights. It’s a very symbolic movement. Many people protest, saying, ‘Why do they emphasize the headscarf so much?’ This is not just a piece of cloth. It is simply the first form of discrimination you face as a woman in Iran when your rights are violated.”

Sevil Suleymani also pointed out that in recent years, women in Iran have become more active in social life, with more women gaining access to education and entering the workforce. She emphasized that all of these factors should be seen as a sign that Iranian women are expected to eventually express their social protests.

Women in Iran are protesting against compulsory hijab.

Regarding the participation of Azerbaijani women in social protests, Sevil Suleymani mentioned the oppression in the Iranian Azerbaijani regions and the migration from the area.

“What’s interesting about the protests is that when looking at photos from when people were protesting the insults against Turks on television, in Urmia, four or five women were at the forefront of the movement. They were holding placards that said, ‘Stop racism against Turks.’ These were women marching with placards. So, why don’t we see this as a women’s movement?”

Sevil Suleymani added that Azerbaijani women show their activism in public life by demanding the rights of their relatives imprisoned in jails and providing information about media oppression.

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Link to the original interview in Turkish on the Azerbaijani section of Voice of America:
Sevil Süleymani: Baş örtüyü İran qadınlarının seçim haqqının tapdanmasının simvoludur