Iranian art school students beaten and arrested for defying headscarf rules

Alijani Ershad
Tue, 27 June 2023

© Observers

A group of Iranian students, incensed at rules imposed on June 12 requiring female students to wear a maqna’a – a conservative Islamic headscarf in black that covers the head, neck and shoulders – began a sit-in in protest. They also wrote an open letter to the university administration, which said: “We have nothing to say to you except ‘no'.” A number of students were beaten and arrested for taking part in the protest, while also being threatened with suspension and even death. Thousands of people have posted “no” on their social media accounts in solidarity and students at dozens of other universities have published open letters in support of the Tehran art students.

It all started on Monday, June 12, when students at Tehran University of Art received a text message: “Female students must wear a maqna’a starting June 17 if they want to attend university classes.”

The new rule was imposed just days before final exams and the end of the semester. One student we spoke to said students who still refused to wear a headscarf felt “taken hostage” by the strict imposition at exam time. Students began a sit-in and protested against the rule.

The message was a shock to a number of students at the university, a prestigious art school known to be a relatively liberal institution in the Islamic Republic. Since the widespread “Woman, Life, Freedom” protests began in September 2022, many Iranian women have refused to wear any type of Islamic headscarf.