In the last week, five young Iranian women viralized on TikTok video dancing to the remix of “calm down “, hit by the Nigerian singer row in partnership with Selena Gomez . The intention was to honor International Women’s Day, on March 8.
The Iranian authorities began an operation to find the group of girls because they were not wearing a hijab (an accessory that covers the hair and is mandatory for women in the country) and were wearing clothes considered inappropriate in the country.
On Twitter, an account that provides news about the Ekbatan neighborhood, where the video was recorded, warned that the police were looking for the teenagers.
“They looked for security camera footage from Block 13 [prédio de apartamentos] to identify girls who were just dancing and not involved in any political activities. Police were seen checking the footage and questioning the guards,” reads the shared tweet.
امروز اومده دنبال فیلم دوربین های بلوک ۱۳ شناسایی این دخترایی که رقصیدن و هیچ سیاسی نکرده بودن
دیده شده که داشتن دوربین هارو چک میکردم و نگهبانارو سوال و جواب میکردن
از طرفی پیج شخصی که این اثر قشنگو بجا گذاشته بود دی اکتیو شده
هرجوری که شده به این دخترا برسونین… https://t.co/sWRW4ZAIMH pic.twitter.com/9mGVy4ownI— شهرک اکباتان (@shahrak_ekbatan) March 9, 2023
After the news of the “hunt” to the group of young people, a wave of videos began with people dancing to the sound of “Calm Down” as a way of supporting the Iranian women.
After being detained for 48 hours, the young women returned home and shared a new video in the same place, with long clothes and the mandatory veil, apologizing and showing remorse, but it is not known under what circumstances the video was recorded.
From then on, more women began to share their videos and choreography without the hijab. The singer Rema himself released the video of the choreography with the message: “To all the wonderful women who fight for a better world, who are a source of inspiration, I sing for you and dream with you”.
Protests against repression
Since September 2022, following the death of a 22-year-old girl who died in police custody after being arrested for inappropriately wearing a headscarf, the Ekbatan neighborhood has been the main site of anti-government demonstrations.
With global pressure, the government of Iran indicated the end of the “moral police”, an organization that supervised whether women’s clothing was in accordance with the standards established by the sharia, Islamic law. Interpreted by many as an “off-the-cuff” response, the authorities launched a new enforcement campaign in January of this year.
Called “Nazer” (“surveillance” in Portuguese), the new organization sends a text message (SMS) to women who are wearing the hijab improperly or without it, asking that the obligation be respected and disobedience to the law not repeated, without punishment or fines.
The very act of dancing in public is considered illegal in Iran, and the use of the word “dance” is banned in all media platforms and publications in the country. According to the Iran International website, a state TV presenter in the country was banned after a guest used the word during the program in 2021.
At the end of 2022, teachers were fired for participating in the students’ graduation ceremony, where there were celebratory dances. More recently, two Iranian bloggers were sentenced to ten years in prison for dancing in the streets, accused of “encouraging corruption and public prostitution”.
روز زن تبریک میگیم به تمام زن هایی که پیشرو در مسیر آزادی بودن
دمتون گرم
به امید آزادی#زن_زندگی_آزادی pic.twitter.com/fdyg9P6ZCL— شهرک اکباتان (@shahrak_ekbatan) March 8, 2023
Source: CNN Brasil
I’m Robert Neff, a professional writer and editor. I specialize in the entertainment section, providing up-to-date coverage on the latest developments in film, television and music. My work has been featured on World Stock Market and other prominent publications.
