New Book Speaks of the Compulsory Hijab and Women’s Rights in Iran

You may have already heard of Masih Alinejad, the Iranian runs the My Stealthy Freedom Facebook page, and dedicates much of her life to protesting Iran’s compulsory hijab laws. Uncovered her hair is a mass of beautiful corkscrew curls, but the beauty of them isn’t the issue here, her entire head of hair has become a political symbol and now she has a book out too.

Masih says she isn’t anti-hijab, but she doesn’t want to wear one and believes that throughout the world women should have the right to choose. However, Iran hold a compulsory hijab law and they have their own morality police to enforce it, and Masih’s protests have seen her imprisoned, forced to leave Iran and now unable to see her family.

Masih has protested, spoken out against and challenged the compulsory hijab laws in Iran since her childhood. At 19 she was arrested for protest and was charged with anti-government activity by the morality police. In her own words she claims she was told by a judge that he had enough evidence to have her executed, but she wasn’t deterred. Since the advent of social media, Masih has taken her movement global and has become a bit of a thorn in the side of the Iranian authorities and now in The Wind in My Hair she speaks of her lifelong battle against oppression.

In her book she says that girls in her country are raised to “keep their heads low, to be as unobtrusive as possible, and to be meek”; and she couldn’t be more different. “I’ve got too much hair, too much voice and I’m too much of a woman for them,” she told the Guardian this week, and those who follow her Facebook page will be inclined to agree.

Today Masih lives in Brooklyn, but she still inspires other women to rebel against Iran’s anti-female laws and The Wind in My Hair is very likely to be a global bestseller.