In a dramatic incident at an Iranian university, a young woman stripped to her underwear in what appeared to be a protest against Iran’s strict religious dress code. The event was captured in a video circulated online on Saturday at a branch of the Islamic Azad University.
The footage revealed security guards detaining the woman, whose identity was not disclosed. Following the incident, a university spokesperson, Amir Mahjob, commented on social media platform X, explaining that upon examination at the police station, the woman was found to be under “severe mental pressure” and suffering from a “mental disorder.”
However, the nature of the woman’s act sparked debate among social media users, with some suggesting it was a calculated protest against the mandatory hijab. A user named Lei La argued on X that for most women, being in their underwear in public represents a significant fear and that this act was a response to the authorities’ “stupid insistence” on upholding the hijab law.
The immediate outcome for the woman remains uncertain. The mass-circulation daily Hamshahri cited an “informed source” who claimed that the woman had severe mental issues and was likely to be transferred to a mental health facility following further investigations.
This incident is part of a broader context where increasing numbers of Iranian women have been openly defying the compulsory wearing of veils. This resistance movement gained momentum following the death of a young Iranian Kurdish woman in September 2022, who reportedly died in the custody of the morality police for allegedly violating hijab regulations. The subsequent nationwide protests saw a harsh response from security forces, who violently suppressed the demonstrations.
