Women in Iran have once again taken to the streets to secure their right to cultural expression. In a video posted on twitter by human rights activist Ashraf Sherjan, four women can be seen doing the Melbourne shuffle dance on what looks like an uncrowded street. The tweet identifies the location as Tehran.
Women in Iran have long been oppressed under discriminatory laws that deny them freedom on many grounds. There have been multiple attempts to reclaim public spaces by women, and this video depicts one such attempt. All four women in the video are wearing hijabs while the 2018-released ‘Step Inside’ plays in the background.
This is not the first time that women in Iran are protesting against curbs on dancing. In 2018, 18-year-old Maedeh Hojabri was arrested for uploading dance videos on Instagram, following which numerous Iranian women posted videos of themselves dancing. Many of these women were reportedly detained and had to issue apologies that were later broadcast by the Iranian state television.
The women in Ashraf’s tweet are garnering accolades from all over the world.
According to the Human Rights Watch, Iranian law censors “art, music, and other forms of cultural expression”.
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