Young Iranian girl gives passionate defence of why she shouldn't have to wear a hijab
A video shows the girl making an argument for freedom of choice
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A video of a young girl giving a passionate defence of why she should not have to wear a hijab in Iran has gone viral.
Posted by Stealthy Freedom, a group that campaigns against laws making the hijab compulsory for women, it shows the girl making an argument for freedom of choice.
Dress codes which require women to cover their hair and body in public, are strictly enforced by "morality police" in Iran. Wearing the hijab, a head covering worn in public by Muslim women, is compulsory.
“It would be good for everyone to live in peace," the girl, who has not been named, says in the video. "Those who believe in the hijab and those who don't believe in it. I'm not telling you to take off your chador, not to respect the hijab. Maybe if the hijab is free one day.
“I could decide to keep my shawl. But we have to respect other people's ideas, I think. You can't force others to wear a chador. I'm not saying that's what you actually do. But have you ever been asked to remove your hijab?”
The video has been shared more than 3,000 times and has more than 300,000 views.
Many of the comments on the video praise the girl, with one saying: “You keep on going, you brave girl, stand up to those who want to restrict the freedom of others”.
The news comes as an Iranian state television presenter sparked outrage after footage emerged of her drinking beer while on holiday in Switzerland, without a hijab.
Azadeh Namdari, who is also an actress, has actively endorsed wearing the hijab in the past. Hard-line conservative Iranian newspaper Vatan-e Emruz published a photo of her in a full hijab in 2014 under the headline: “Thank God, I wear the veil”.
Critics on social media accused her of "hypocrisy" and "dual-behaviour”.
She said she had been sitting alongside members of her family and "maharem" - close relatives who a woman is not required to wear a hijab among – in a park.
She claimed her scarf had fallen abruptly and the clip was immediately recorded by a random person. She did not mention the bottles of beer in the video or seek to explain them.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments