Hundreds of women lined up for a marathon on Iran’s resort island of Kish in early December wearing matching shirts and leggings with hair tied loosely behind their backs.
In a country where ignoring dress codes could land you hefty fines and prison sentences, the runners turned their focus on the course ahead, ignoring government directives and the complimentary headscarf placed by the race organizers in the marathon starter pack, in anticipation of violations.
In October, a band played the “Seven Nation Army” riff to a headbanging crowd on the streets of the Iranian capital Tehran in a viral moment on social media reposted by the American guitarist behind the White Stripes hit, Jack White.
This week, shopkeepers and bazaar merchants took to the streets in several Iranian cities, chanting anti-regime slogans over their inability to pay rent after the currency hit record lows. The protests were the largest since a 2022 nationwide uprising sparked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody after she was arrested for allegedly wearing her headscarf improperly.
Despite being so far limited, the protests mark the latest chapter in growing discontent in Iran while a population quietly reclaims public spaces and personal freedoms through uncoordinated acts of defiance. The Islamic theocratic regime – long opposed to Western cultural influence – appears to be overlooking the growing civil disobedience to focus on its own survival.
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