The Girls of Enghelab Street

Vida Movahed really started something . The Iranian woman climbed on top of a utility box on busy Enghelab Street in Tehran on Dec. 27, 2017 , took of her hijab , a scarf like cloth that is wrapped around the head and neck to cover the hair , tied it on a stick and waved it standing on her platform on the busy street until she was arrested . It's required by law in Iran as the government there takes satisfaction in how Islamic it is . The Constitution of Iran puts the people under Islam . The Persian people are really not that crazy about it but those people have been getting killed , tortured and terrorized over it for a thousand years now, it is kind of ingrained in their psyche . It's only in modern times that most of them even know what it means . Iran had a period of relative freedom not so long back the older people still remember. Before the Iranian Islamic Revolution of 1979, during the reign of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi the hijab was non-compulsory and a personal decision. The people want this and other freedoms back , the economy is bad from sanctions and low oil prices . It's another revolution waiting to happen.

When "The Girl of Enghelab Street " did her protest it seemed to bring out the people in a larger protest. Thousands of people came out protesting everything , even the Islamic government . The government came down hard and thousands arrested , hundreds tortured and scores of them killed and the masses were quelled again for a while . Except now theres "The Girls of Enghelab Street". Many girls keep repeating the protest of Vida Movahed . Usually on a utility box but other platforms like park benches are ok , sometimes they just do it by the side of the road . They are still getting arrested , I hear about one every couple days , I'm sure it's more than I hear about .

The internet enables the Girls of Enghlab Street to get pictures of themselves doing this out . There's a page on facebook and Twitter called My Stealthy Freedom . They have a hashtag thats well known that calls for protest of the compulsery hijab on Wednesdays . #WhiteWednesdays hashtag is seen on many of the pictures that get out and many activists do what they can by spreading these pictures . Sometimes the names of the girls is given , sometimes follow up reports on their arrests and releases .

I have seen pic a couple different times of men doing the protest Vida Movahed style. Nasrin Sotoudeh an Iranian lawyer and human rights activist reports the second girl of Enghelab street. 32 years old Narges Hosseini was unable to pay the $135,000 USD bail and remains in prison facing a possible 10 year sentence and up to 74 lashes on charges including openly committing a sinful act.

Azam Jangravi was pushed off her platform by police on February 15,2018 breaking her leg.

Shaparak Shajarizadeh was violently arrested  for a hijab protest.

Maryam Shariatmadari suffered a broken leg and was arrested on what police charged as disturbing the peace for her peaceful protest .

Hamraz Sadeghi was violently arrested , the police breaking her arm for protesting the compulsory hijab like Vida Movahed did and it went so viral. Freedom lovers inspired at her courage .

The United States Department of State said that United States condemns the arrests of people who are protesting against compulsory hijab law, and United States supports those people.

A campaign on social media with the hashtag #NoHijabDay advocates for other women from around the world to burn their hijabs in solidarity with Iranian women who are forced to wear them and post a video online with the hashtag. I don't think if a date is actually established . It is in response to " World Hijab Day declared by some Muslim groups and already seems more popular.

Ms Movahed, who went viral as The Girl In Enghelab Street, was detained and spent a month in custody with her 20-month-daughter.  She has become the poster girl for the #WhiteWednesdays movement .  Julie Lenarz (@MsJulieLenarz) reports that 35 girls have been arrested in Iran for this activism .