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| Ural Hatemi |
Sociologist and political activist Ural Hatemi, in an interview with Voice of America, points out that the number of forces loyal to the Islamic Republic of Iran is gradually decreasing.
Hatemi believes that while women's issues have been the main driving force behind these protests, they have now turned into a broader protest against the entire structure and system of the regime.
"In these protests, women's problems took the forefront. It was called the revolution of women, the uprising of women. But the issue is no longer just about women. It has turned into a protest against the existence of this corrupt system, involving the entire structure of the Iranian regime. That is, the problem is the regime now. From women's issues to the economy, unemployment, discrimination, injustices, the situation of the ethnic groups in Iran, and all the problems within Iran are being voiced in these protests and continue to be raised," he said.
According to the sociologist, intervening in women’s clothing and lifestyle has been part of the Islamic Republic's ideology since its inception:
"After the 1979 Revolution, one of the first things the regime did was to start restricting women. It restricted women's lives in various areas of society. Whether it was their clothing, jobs, or other matters. This is the ideology of the Islamic Republic of Iran. This also happened to men. Up until 5-10 years ago, no one could shave their beard in Iran. It was impossible to wear short-sleeve shirts at universities. This regime, by its ideology, interferes with people's clothing, lifestyle, worldview, what they drink, what they eat, and everything."
Hatemi stated that the Islamic Republic sees the removal of these restrictions on women as a threat to its own existence.
He also pointed out the attention given to hundreds of protesting women in various cities of Iran removing their hijabs, saying, "The issue of women, their clothing, and their hair has been placed by the Iranian regime in such a way that if this barrier is crossed, the regime believes that its downfall would be much easier."
In the interview, Hatemi also emphasizes the wide protests organized in Iranian Azerbaijan but notes that this has not been sufficiently covered in Persian-language media:
"After the death of a protestor named Hadis Najafi, we saw on social media how Persian-language media and many influential Persian-language pages did not even use the hashtag for Hadis Najafi. In these protests, we must be at the forefront because the oppression we face is double compared to Tehran, Isfahan, or Yazd. But when Persian media abroad does not reflect this, we have the right to ask, why are you doing this? Why do you make one person a hero and not even mention the name of another?"
Link to the original interview in Turkish on the Azerbaijani section of Voice of America:
Ural Hatəmi: İran hakimiyyəti qadının saçını öz varlığına təhdid olaraq görür