Iranian-American journalist Masih Alinejad has shared a clip of male pharmaceutical workers actively resisting a sexist policy introduced by the Iranian Drug & Food Administration which had ordered women to start wearing black veils at their workplaces. Alinejad wrote in a tweet:
“Iran’s Food & Drug Administration has ordered pharmacies to force their female staff to wear black veils at workplace. Iranian men are mocking this order and supporting their female colleagues by wearing hijab. Compulsory hijab is the main pillar of a religious relationship. Together we will bring this wall down.”
Alinejad called for international pharmacists to support their Iranian colleagues in their fight for gender equality, as many women have lost their jobs because they protested against compulsory hijab laws:
“I call on international pharmacists to support their Iranian colleagues. Many women lost their job for the crime of resisting compulsory hijab laws. Forcing women to wear hijab is an insult to all women and men across the globe. Human rights is a global matter. Show your solidarity.”
Compulsory hijab has been in the eye of the storm in Iran, leading to strikes and demonstrations across Iran after the death of 22 year old Mahsa Amini, who died under custody of the morality police after refusing to abide by the strict hijab rules. Many women continue to remove their hijab in order to protest against the compulsory law, stating that it denies them social and political freedom.
Speaking to RFE, an unnamed psychologist said: “Women see it as their absolute right, a right they have been denied for years. I’m protesting the status quo.”
