The current protests were sparked by the death of the Kurdish 22-year-old woman, Jîna Mahsa Amini, after she was arrested for what the Islamic Republic of Iran considers improper hejab (headscarf). In response, schoolgirls and women, with the solidarity of boys and men, came out to protest against Jîna’s death and compulsory hejab by removing their hejab, cutting their hair, and using the slogan ‘woman, life, freedom’. This slogan has its roots in the Kurdish women’s freedom movement and can be found in Iran’s protests in the Kurdish, Persian, Balochi and Azeri languages. In turn, this slogan has highlighted to the outside world that Iran is made up of multiple nations (mellat) and language groups.
