Rallies erupt across the globe in solidarity with Iran protests

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - From Toronto to Erbil, people gathered over the weekend in a vast show of support for the protests in Iran, sparked by the death of a young Kurdish woman while in police detention. 

Mahsa (Zhina) Amini was arrested by the so-called morality police in Tehran for wearing “improper” hijab and her death has triggered public anger with thousands of people flocking to the streets in protests that spread from Iran’s Kurdish region (Rojhelat) to the rest of the country. 

Videos of women taking off their headscarves, burning them, and cutting their hair in solidarity with Amini’s death have been circulating on social media. 

Shortly after Iran’s 1979 revolution, the hijab was declared compulsory and women who defied the Islamic dress code or refused to strictly follow it were denied their rights. Offenders against Iran’s sharia law and hijab rules often face fines or arrest.