Five Iranian girls were arrested earlier this month and forced to publicly apologize after they posted a video on TikTok in which they were dancing without wearing hijabs on Women's Day a couple of weeks ago, according to Iran International.
Women are forbidden from dancing in public in Iran.
Following the girls' arrests, other girls and women in Iran posted their own videos dancing without hijabs to the same song in support of the give teenagers.
In the video, the girls danced to the song “Calm Down” by Selena Gomez and Rema. Gomez and Rema expressed their support for the girls on social media.
This video of Iranian girls in Tehran’s Ekbatan neighborhood dancing unveiled to the song Calm Down by Rema and Selena Gomez has gone viral.Women are banned from dancing in public in Iran. pic.twitter.com/2hSsY4KFEg
— Iran International English (@IranIntl_En) March 9, 2023
“[Love] to these young women and all the women of Iran who continue to be courageous demanding [sic] fundamental changes. Please know your strength is inspiring.”
Selena Gomez
“[Love] to these young women and all the women of Iran who continue to be courageous demanding [sic] fundamental changes. Please know your strength is inspiring,” Gomez, who has over 400 million followers, said in an Instagram story.
Rema also supported the girls, saying in a tweet: “To all the beautiful women who are fighting for a better world, I’m inspired by you, I sing for you and I dream with you.”
To all the beautiful women who are fighting for a better world, I’m inspired by you, I sing for you and I dream with you. ✊ https://t.co/sOCQjZnlpB
— REMA (@heisrema) March 14, 2023
Protests in Iran
Protests have swept the country since September when 22-year-old Iranian Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini died in the custody of Iran's "morality police" after they arrested her for improperly wearing a hijab.
The incident highlighted the widespread oppression of women in Iran under its theocratic government and fueled public opposition to the regime.
The Jerusalem Post reported in January that an Iranian couple - Astiyaz Haghighi and Amir Mohammed Ahmadi - is facing 10.5 years in prison for posting a video on social media of themselves dancing.
In the video, Haghighi is not wearing a hijab.
This Iranian couple is convicted to 10.5 years in prison for dancing at Azadi Sq and sharing the video online.Ironically enough, ‘Azadi’ means freedom. یک دهه زندان به جرم رقص در آزادی!نامشان را بگو!#آستیاژ_حقیقی و #اميرمحمد_احمدی #WomanLifeFreedompic.twitter.com/Khpg05gemg
— Sahghee ساقی (@saghitarin) January 30, 2023