WOMEN IN IRAN WEAR WHITE ON WEDNESDAYS TO CHALLENGE COMPULSORY HIJAB
Women in Iran have found a middle ground in the struggle between those who want to cover their hair and those who don’t in a new campaign called White Wednesday or “Wednesday without compulsion.”
Now running for the fourth week, the campaign invites women and men to wear white veils, scarves or bracelets, the color of peace, to show their opposition to the mandatory dress code. It is the latest initiative of journalist Masih Alinejad, founder of My Stealthy Freedom, an online movement advocating freedom of choice.
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Iranian society is dictated by conservative Islamic law and since the Islamic Revolution of 1979 women have been required to cover their hair in accordance with these religious norms, facing arrest if they don’t follow them. The religious authorities have issued other bans restricting women’s choices throughout the years, and continue to do so.
A proposed ban on Zumba, the popular dance that is practised as a form of physical exercise in gyms worldwide, created controversy last week.
http://www.newsweek.com/women-iran-wear-white-wednesdays-challenge-compulsory-hijab-625453
