Conflict Alerts

Conflict Alerts # 556, 29 September 2022

Iran: Protests spark against hijab rules
Lavanya Ravi

In the news
The death of a 22-year-old woman Mahsa Amini on 13 September while under detention by Iran’s morality police has sparked nationwide protests. The demonstrations targeted the strict hijab rules enforced by the government.

A heavy public backlash was observed, with ongoing protests the past fortnight claiming more than 71 lives, including security personnel. Hundreds of people, including journalists, have been arrested or detained.

Visuals of women burning their hijab and cutting their hair have flooded social media. Iran’s government has responded by banning the internet, especially WhatsApp, Instagram, and other social media, pledging “decisive action without leniency against the core instigators of the riots.”

On 23 September, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres met President Ebrahim Raisi to raise concerns about the investigation and excessive use of force against the protesters. The international community, including the UN and Amnesty International, has called for a criminal investigation and a fair probe into the death of Mahsa Amini.

On 25 September, Iran’s government summoned the British and Norwegian envoys to protest their ‘hostile reporting and interference’ in Iran’s affairs. President Raisi also cancelled an interview with an American CNN reporter because she refused to wear a hijab during the interview. Iran’s protesters have garnered widespread support in the international community. The protests in Iran have received support from the diaspora based in the US, UK, Norway, Turkey, France, and more.

Issues at large
First, strong anti-hijab sentiments. Hijab and loose tunic over clothes became strictly mandatory for women in Iran only after the Iranian Revolution of 1979. Protests on a smaller scale erupted in 2017, and the then leader Hassan Rouhani relaxed the Hijab mandate in certain areas. However, the current conservative hard-liner Ebrahim Raisi brought back strict enforcement of the dress code which has resulted in strong protests, especially led by women.

Second, internet censorship. The Iranian government has restricted access to the internet to prevent people from using it mobilise protests. However, the US has stepped forward to assist the people in their peaceful protests by imposing sanctions on the morality police and providing means to bypass internet shutdowns. To that end, billionaire Elon Musk has offered Starlink, a satellite network operated by SpaceX, to help people access the internet. 

Third, state-sponsored counter-protests. Supporters of the current regime have gathered in large numbers in the form of state-sponsored pushback to change the existing narrative. They claim the ‘rioters’ have engaged in anti-religious acts by burning the Quran and the national flag. They have also denounced the intervention of foreign powers like the US, claiming the protests are ‘seditionist’ fuelled by external forces intervening in Iran’s domestic affairs.

Fourth, momentum for the feminist movement. The Islamic Revolution of 1979 set back the progress made by women by at least 5 decades. Since then, the feminist movement has struggled to make progress with conservative leaders enforcing strict Islamic law. Moments of relaxation have been observed with predecessor Hassan Rouhani reining in the Moral Police. The current protests are a culmination of decades of oppression and pose a challenge to the regime. Women in Iran are not just challenging the hijab mandate, but the culture of treating women as second-class citizens.

In perspective
First, the interplay of religion and moral policing. The protests which started out by demanding justice for Amini have turned into questioning the institutions set up by the government that enforce strict Islamic laws. The extent to which the government has gone to uphold its social-religious and oppressive practices has caused widespread dissatisfaction. The death of Amini has triggered the fundamental question of the need for moral and religious policing in an age when the country’s feminist movement is stronger than ever.

Second, impact of protests. Iranian bureaucracy is adamant about enforcing the hijab as a mandate; there are very few officials under Khameini’s rule that have opposed the veil. If the government gives in to the hijab row, then there will be popular demand to update various other aspects of the Islamic law that are repressive in nature. As a result, the government is putting a lot of effort into denying Amini’s death as the fault of the police and changing the narrative to condemn the violent riots and undue foreign influence. In the short term, the government is likely to provide selective relaxations to quell the civil unrest but it is unlikely that any substantial institutional changes will come about.

November 2024 | Conflict Alert # 683
Sudan: A prolonged war and failed mediations
November 2024 | Conflict Alert # 681
Trump and the Conflict in the Middle East
November 2024 | Conflict Alert # 680
Spain: Devastating Floods and its Aftermath

November 2024 | Conflict Alert # 679
India-China Border Disengagement 
October 2024 | Conflict Alert # 677
Continuing Israel-Iran-Hezbollah-Hamas Conflict
October 2024 | Conflict Alert # 675
The Israel-Hezbollah-Hamas War in the Middle East
October 2024 | Conflict Alert # 674
Sudan: SAF’s bid to recapture Khartoum
September 2024 | Conflict Alert # 672
Israel’s new phase of war against Hezbollah 

September 2024 | Conflict Alert # 671
Russia’s counteroffensive in Kursk
September 2024 | Conflict Alert # 670
Sudan: The war, famine and humanitarian crisis
September 2024 | Conflict Alert # 669
Ukraine: Russia’s Drone attacks
August 2024 | Conflict Alert # 667
Brazil and Greece: Raging wildfires 
August 2024 | Conflict Alert # 666
Canada’s 100 per cent tariff on Chinese EVs
August 2024 | Conflict Alert # 665
Burkina Faso: JNIM expands toward Ouagadougou
August 2024 | Conflict Alert # 663
Mpox Outbreak: Africa and Beyond
August 2024 | Conflict Alert # 661
Riots and Protests in the UK: A Week After 
August 2024 | Conflict Alert # 659
Nigeria: Protests over cost-of-living crisis
August 2024 | Conflict Alert # 656
Raging wildfires in North America

August 2024 | Conflict Alert # 653
Bangladesh: Three weeks of protests
July 2024 | Conflict Alert # 652
Protests in Kenya: Into the fifth week

July 2024 | Conflict Alert # 650
Suicide Bombings in Nigeria
July 2024 | Conflict Alert # 649
Afghanistan: The Doha Talks with the Taliban
June 2024 | Conflict Alert # 645
Israel: The conflict with Hezbollah intensifies 
June 2024 | Conflict Alert # 643
Israel: Challenges to Netanyahu’s War
May 2024 | Conflict Alert # 631
Australia: Protests against gender violence
April 2024 | Conflict Alert # 625
Sudan: One Year of Civil War
April 2024 | Conflict Alert # 624
The Middle East: Steady Escalation 

April 2024 | Conflict Alert # 621
30 years after the Rwandan Genocide
March 2024 | Conflict Alert # 620
Islamic State Khorasan (IS-K): A profile

March 2024 | Conflict Alert # 619
Russia: ISIS terror attack in Moscow
March 2024 | Conflict Alert # 618
Gaza: Finally, a UN Security Council Resolution
March 2024 | Conflict Alert # 617
Haiti: Continuing political instability 
March 2024 | Conflict Alert # 614
Continuing Kidnappings in Nigeria
March 2024 | Conflict Alert # 613
The War in Gaza: The Elusive Search for a Ceasefire
February 2024 | Conflict Alert # 606
Ukraine: The Battle for Avdiivka
February 2024 | Conflict Alert # 605
War expands to Rafah, the border town
February 2024 | Conflict Alert # 604
Senegal: Protests amidst the postponement of elections

February 2024 | Conflict Alert # 601
UNRWA relief fund shutdown exacerbates crises
January 2024 | Conflict Alert # 600
Haiti: Continuing Violence and Kidnappings 

January 2024 | Conflict Alert # 599
The Red Sea Crisis: Attacks and Counter Attacks
January 2024 | Conflict Alert # 597
Middle East: Blinken's Fourth Visit
March 2023 | Conflict Alert # 595
Israel-Palestine: Return of violence
March 2023 | Conflict Alert # 594
Ukraine: Battle for Bakhmut
February 2023 | Conflict Alert # 591
France: Continued protests against pension reform
February 2023 | Conflict Alert # 588
US: Air Force shoots down Chinese balloon

January 2023 | Conflict Alert # 586
Israel: Protests against proposed judicial reforms
January 2023 | Conflict Alert # 585
Sweden: Anti-Islamic protests
January 2023 | Conflict Alert # 583
Peru: Fresh protests and continuing political crisis
January 2023 | Conflict Alert # 577
Ukraine: A new military push, worsening the situation
December 2022 | Conflict Alert # 576
The EU: The new gas price capping regulation

December 2022 | Conflict Alert # 573
Russia: Drone attacks escalate the Ukraine war
December 2022 | Conflict Alert # 572
Pakistan: TTP ends ceasefire with the government

November 2022 | Conflict Alert # 568
Ukraine: The Russian withdrawal from Kherson

November 2022 | Conflict Alert # 567
Pakistan: The assassination attempt on Imran Khan
October 2022 | Conflict Alert # 563
Global Hunger Index: Four Takeaways
October 2022 | Conflict Alert # 561
Haiti: Gang violence and beyond
October 2022 | Conflict Alert # 560
Reducing Inequality Index 2022: Three Takeaways

October 2022 | Conflict Alert # 559
China: UNHRC proceeding on Xinjiang
September 2022 | Conflict Alert # 555
EU's food waste 2022: Three takeaways

September 2022 | Conflict Alert # 553
Global Estimates of Modern Slavery 2021: Six takeaways
September 2022 | Conflict Alert # 551
Ukraine: Counteroffensive in Kharkiv and Kherson

September 2022 | Conflict Alert # 550
The UN report on Xinjiang: Four Takeaways
September 2022 | Conflict Alert # 549
Drought in Europe, August 2022: Four Takeaways
September 2022 | Conflict Alert # 547
Iraq: Al-Sadr Withdraws, Protests Intensify

August 2022 | Conflict Alert # 546
Europe: Heatwaves, wildfires, and droughts
August 2022 | Conflict Alert # 539
Iraq: The escalating political crisis

July 2022 | Conflict Alert # 536
The US: Wildfires in California, again
July 2022 | Conflict Alert # 531
Sudan: Military steps down, following protests

July 2022 | Conflict Alert # 530
Sri Lanka: Continuing economic crisis
July 2022 | Conflict Alert # 527
Libya: The continuing political stalemate

May 2022 | Conflict Alert # 516
The US: Another school attack kills 19 children
May 2022 | Conflict Alert # 512
Ukraine: 75 days of the war
May 2022 | Conflict Alert # 511
Ethiopia: Rising communal tensions

May 2022 | Conflict Alert # 510
Sri Lanka: Political crisis intensifies
April 2022 | Conflict Alert # 507
Afghanistan: The rise of sectarian violence

April 2022 | Conflict Alert # 506
Mexico: Protests over continuing femicides
April 2022 | Conflict Alert # 501
Israel: Al-Aqsa Mosque raids
April 2022 | Conflict Alert # 500
Ukraine: The battle for Donbas
April 2022 | Conflict Alert # 499
Russia: The strategic shift from Kyiv to the Donbas

April 2022 | Conflict Alert # 498
Nigeria: Over 100 killed in another gunmen attack
April 2022 | Conflict Alert # 497
Ukraine: Russia's battle for Mariupol
April 2022 | Conflict Alert # 496
Yemen: Finally, a ceasefire
March 2022 | Conflict Alert # 491
The worsening economic crisis in Sri Lanka

March 2022 | Conflict Alert # 488
Russia’s Ukraine Invasion: One Week Later
February 2022 | Conflict Alert # 486
Russia’s Ukraine salami slicing
February 2022 | Conflict Alert # 485
Libya: With two Prime Ministers, a new political crisis
February 2022 | Conflict Alert # 481
Canada: Freedom convoys and a new wave of protests
February 2022 | Conflict Alert # 478
Myanmar: One year after the coup
January 2022 | Conflict Alert # 477
Syria: The ISIS attack on a prison
January 2022 | Conflict Alert # 476
Yemen: The warzone expands in the Houthi-UAE face-off
January 2022 | Conflict Alert # 475
Burkina Faso: Another coup in Africa

January 2022 | Conflict Alert # 474
France: New round of protests over COVID-19 passes
January 2022 | Conflict Alert # 472
Ukraine: Threat of Russian invasion
January 2022 | Conflict Alert # 470
Iran: Two years after Qasem Soleimani
January 2022 | Conflict Alert # 468
Kazakhstan: Bloody unrest and a brutal crackdown
December 2021 | Conflict Alert # 466
COVID-19: Omicron rapidly spreads across countries
December 2021 | Conflict Alert # 464
Ukraine: The West warns Russia over Ukrainian aggression
December 2021 | Conflict Alert # 463
China: 12 million missing children

November 2021 | Conflict Alert # 459
Europe: Restrictions lead to Widespread Protests

November 2021 | Conflict Alert # 457
Cuba: Between bouts of demonstrations
November 2021 | Conflict Alert # 454
Pakistan: A month-long ceasefire with the TTP

October 2021 | Conflict Alert # 447
The US: Protests against the Texas anti-abortion law
October 2021 | Conflict Alert # 444
Brazil: Anti-Bolsonaro protests across the country
September 2021 | Conflict Alert # 441
Yemen: Houthis continue to capture territories
September 2021 | Conflict Alert # 439
Europe: Pride Marches in Serbia and Ukraine
September 2021 | Conflict Alert # 437
Brazil: Protestors call for the impeachment of Bolsonaro
September 2021 | Conflict Alert # 435
Guinea: Another coup in Africa
September 2021 | Conflict Alert # 431
Climate Change: Hurricane Ida destructs the US Gulf Coast
August 2021 | Conflict Alert # 422
Europe: Measures to curb pandemic trigger protests

August 2021 | Conflict Alert # 418
Peru: Protests a sign of challenges facing Castillo

July 2021 | Conflict Alert # 411
Wildfires: Siberia to the US
July 2021 | Conflict Alert # 409
Bosnia: 26 years after the Srebrenica Massacre
July 2021 | Conflict Alert # 405
Colombia: Two months of protests
June 2021 | Conflict Alert # 399
Myanmar: New UNGA resolution
June 2021 | Conflict Alert # 397
Myanmar: The Aung San Suu Kyi trial begins
June 2021 | Conflict Alert # 390
Burkina Faso: Another massacre in Africa

June 2021 | Conflict Alert # 386
Nigeria: Another mass abduction grips Niger state

June 2021 | Conflict Alert # 385
Colombia: The protests continue
May 2021 | Conflict Alert # 382
Israel-Hamas ceasefire: The long road to peace

May 2021 | Conflict Alert # 380
Colombia: Three weeks of protests
May 2021 | Conflict Alert # 378
Israel-Palestine: Who wants what?

May 2021 | Conflict Alert # 374
Yemen: The Battle for Marib rages on

April 2021 | Conflict Alert # 371
Pakistan: Meetings with Afghan leaders
April 2021 | Conflict Alert # 369
Israel-Syria: Continuing Missile Strikes
April 2021 | Conflict Alert # 358
India: Another Maoist attack in Chhattisgarh

April 2021 | Conflict Alert # 356
Global Gender Gap Report 2021: Main Takeaways
March 2021 | Conflict Alert # 353
Niger: 137 massacred in the latest attack by gunmen
March 2021 | Conflict Alert # 351
Yemen: Saudi Arabia announces ceasefire

March 2021 | Conflict Alert # 347
Australia: Women fight against sexual violence 

March 2021 | Conflict Alert # 345
The US: The George Floyd trial begins
March 2021 | Conflict Alert # 340
Syria: UN report calls for a complete ceasefire
February 2021 | Conflict Alert # 333
South Korea: The 'Comfort Women' issue returns to haunt
January 2021 | Conflict Alert # 222
Russia: Pro-Navalny protests turn anti-government 
January 2021 | Conflict Alert # 220
COVID-19: The Vaccine Wars
December 2020 | Conflict Alert # 200
India: Farmers' protests intensify as deadlock persists
November 2020 | Conflict Alert # 191
Pakistan: Anti-French protests called off

October 2020 | Conflict Alert # 174
Bangladesh: Protests intensify against sexual violence
October 2020 | Conflict Alert # 167
India crosses 6 million-mark in COVID-19 cases

September 2020 | Conflict Alert # 166
Pakistan: The persisting polio problem
September 2020 | Conflict Alert # 156
Pakistan: Targeted Violence continues in Waziristan
September 2020 | Conflict Alert # 154
The anti-Racist Protests in the US: Between
August 2020 | Conflict Alert # 148
Israel and UAE normalize relations
August 2020 | Conflict Alert # 146
Bolivia: Protests against the Election postponement
August 2020 | Conflict Alert # 138
In Iraq, the protestors return to the streets 

July 2020 | Conflict Alert # 118
J&K: Geelani's Exit and Continuing Violence

June 2020 | Conflict Alert # 105
Black Lives Matter brings the US to its knees
May 2020 | Conflict Alert # 86
Libya: Khalifa Haftar announces ceasefire 

May 2020 | Conflict Alert # 81
India: The surge in violence in J&K
April 2020 | Conflict Alert # 71
Afghanistan: 300 Taliban prisoners released
April 2020 | Conflict Alert # 67
Syria: New UN Report on Idlib
April 2020 | Conflict Alert # 64
A lethal impact on the Refugee/Migrant Camps 
March 2020 | Conflict Alert # 51
Coronavirus & China: Fall in numbers 
March 2020 | Conflict Alert # 47
Coronavirus & Nepal: In the second stage, cancels
March 2020 | Conflict Alert # 44
Two Presidents in Afghanistan
March 2020 | Conflict Alert # 42
'Aurat March': A New beginning across Pakistan 

March 2020 | Conflict Alert # 38
Sri Lanka withdraws from 30/1 Geneva Resolution

February 2020 | Conflict Alert # 35
A ceasefire between Israel, Islamic Jihad in Gaza
February 2020 | Conflict Alert # 34
Libya: rivals withdraw from Geneva peace talks

February 2020 | Conflict Alert # 33
India: Violence in Delhi
February 2020 | Conflict Alert # 32
Afghanistan: Seven Days of Peace
February 2020 | Conflict Alert # 31
Climate Change Fallouts: Impacts the Bird population
February 2020 | Conflict Alert # 28
Pakistan: Court convicts LeT founder Hafiz Saeed
February 2020 | Conflict Alert # 27
Pakistan: Suicide terrorism returns to haunt Quetta
February 2020 | Conflict Alert # 26
Afghanistan: The US-Taliban Seven Day Deal

February 2020 | Conflict Alert # 24
Israel: Violence in post  Trump-deal
January 2020 | Conflict Alert # 20
Kenya: Al Shabab and a week of killings
December 2019 | Conflict Alert # 19
Citizenship Amendment Bill:2019
November 2019 | Conflict Alert # 18
Lebanon: PM Hariri quits, but protests continue 

October 2019 | Conflict Alert # 16
Bolivian unrest
October 2019 | Conflict Alert # 15
Hundreds protest in Haiti
October 2019 | Conflict Alert # 14
Protests rock Chile

October 2019 | Conflict Alert # 13
Hong Kong Violence: A divide within
October 2019 | Conflict Alert # 12
Spain: The trouble in Catalonia
October 2019 | Conflict Alert # 11
Turkey's Offensive in Syria
August 2019 | Conflict Alert # 9
Africa to be Polio Free
August 2019 | Conflict Alert # 7
Myanmar: Teenage girls traded as brides to China
August 2019 | Conflict Alert # 6
Moscow Protests: Thousands rally in Moscow

August 2019 | Conflict Alert # 3
Jordan Restores diplomatic ties with Qatar