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Women, girls and students protesting in Iran

Women, Life, Freedom - Level 4

Protests by women and girls are growing in Iran. They began after the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in September. She was killed for removing her headscarf in public. Her death started protests around Iran. Hundreds of thousands of women in the streets, on buses and in schools are copying Mahsa's actions. They are sending a message to Iran's leaders. Many burnt their scarves and cut their hair. They march chanting "women, life, freedom".

The protests are because of decades of pent-up fury. Women are tired of having to cover their hair. They are punished with fines and imprisonment. The death of 16-year-old Nika Shakarami last week fuelled the protests further. An Iranian professor said hair coverings were the tip of the iceberg. She said: "The demand is freedom. The current protests… are engaging students… who are ready to live life freely. They're done with death and grief and mourning."

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Women, Life, Freedom - Level 5

Protests by women and girls are gaining in momentum in Iran. They began following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in September at the hands of the morality police. She became a martyr after she removed her headscarf and showed her hair in public. Her death started demonstrations around Iran. Hundreds of thousands of women have copied Ms Amini's actions to send a message to Iran's leaders. They took off their headscarves in the streets, on buses and in schools. Many burnt their scarves and cut their hair. They marched in the streets chanting "women, life, freedom".

The uprisings in Iran are from decades of pent-up fury. Women are tired of being obliged to cover their hair. Punishments for violating this law include fines and imprisonment. The death of 16-year-old Nika Shakarami last week has further fuelled the protests. Hundreds have died in the past month. An Iranian professor said hair coverings were the tip of the iceberg. She said: "There's a lot of compulsion in Iranian culture, and so the demand is freedom. The current protests… are engaging students… who are ready to live life freely. They're done with death and grief and mourning."

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11 online activities    |    8-page printable   (PDF)

Women, Life, Freedom - Level 6

Protests by women, school girls and university students are gaining in momentum in Iran. The uprisings began following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini on the 16th of September at the hands of Iran's morality police. She became an instant martyr after she took off her headscarf and showed her hair in public. Her death ignited a whole series of demonstrations throughout Iran. Hundreds of thousands of women have replicated Ms Amini's actions to openly send a message to Iran's leaders. They took off their headscarves en masse in the streets, on buses and in schools. Many burnt their hair coverings and cut their hair in public. They have marched in the streets chanting their rallying cry of "women, life, freedom".

The latest uprising in Iran is the result of decades of pent-up fury at Iran's regime. Women are tired of being forced to cover their hair. It became obligatory in April 1983 for them to do so. Punishments for violating this law range from financial penalties to imprisonment. The death of 16-year-old Nika Shakarami last week has further fuelled the intensity of the protests. Hundreds more have died in the past month at the hands of the authorities. An Iranian professor said hair coverings were the tip of the iceberg. She said: "There's a lot of compulsion in Iranian culture, and so the demand is freedom. The current protests… are engaging students… who are ready to live life freely. They're done with death and grief and mourning."

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