1979: The Six-Day Protest Against Compulsory Hijab (March 1979).

Provided by The Victims’ Families for Transitional Justice.

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The Iranian Revolution and the Rise of Khomeini
In February 1979, the Islamic Revolution (or Iranian Revolution) overthrew the Shah, Reza Pahlavi, ending over 2,500 years of monarchy and establishing the Islamic Republic. The revolution had been fueled by diverse political and social forces—including leftists, liberals, secular nationalists, and Islamists—united in their opposition to the Shah’s dictatorship. Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, an exiled cleric, rapidly consolidated power with his populist ideas. After a national referendum that showed overwhelming support, Khomeini imposed an Islamic theocracy based on his Velayat-e Faqih (Guardianship of the Islamic Jurist), leaving behind the revolution’s liberal and leftist allies.

While many Iranians had initially envisioned a democratic and pluralistic future, the new government moved quickly to establish a rigid Islamist state. The Khomeini-lead regime dismantled opposition voices and restricted personal freedoms. Women, who had played a crucial role in the revolution, were among the first to be targeted.

The Beginning of Resistance
On March 7, 1979, one day before International Women’s Day, Khomeini declared that women working in government offices must adhere to Islamic hijab. His decree marked the first major rollback of women’s rights in post-revolutionary Iran. The next morning, women arriving at work without a headscarf were turned away.

The Street Protests and the Response
Women who planned to commemorate the first International Women’s Day post-monarchy shifted their celebrations. Their movement was an instinctive reaction to the sudden loss of freedoms they had fought to secure in the revolution. Their demands were clear; they wanted the right to choose their clothing and to preserve their role in public life. On March 8, 1979, tens of thousands of Iranian women, whose livelihoods ranged from professionals to students to activists, and homemakers, took to the streets in protest. They marched from the University of Tehran toward the Prime Minister’s office, chanting:

“We did not have a revolution to go backward.”

“In the dawn of freedom, women's rights are missing.”

“Freedom is universal, not Eastern or Western.”

However, their peaceful demonstration was met with hostility. Counter-protestors, including Hezbollah supporters, attempted to disperse the crowd using intimidation, physical violence, and verbal abuse. Women were called "Western agents" and accused of being "corrupting influences" in the new Islamic society. Despite these attacks, the protests continued for six consecutive days. Women gathered in front of government buildings, including the Ministry of Justice and state-run TV headquarters, demanding a clear stance from authorities. On the third day, some protestors were physically assaulted, and reports surfaced of women being stabbed. Yet, the movement persisted, fueled by growing anger and solidarity.

The Role of the Media: State Censorship and Ayandegan
The state-controlled media played a critical role in suppressing the women’s protests. The newly established Islamic Republic of Iran’s television and radio stations refused to cover the demonstrations, minimizing the scale of women’s resistance. While footage of pro-Khomeini rallies and anti-Western slogans dominated the airwaves, the voices of Iranian women demanding their rights were silenced. The only major newspaper that dared to cover the protests, Ayandegan (a secular, pro-democracy paper that had supported the revolutionary movement but remained critical of Khomeini’s authoritarian tendencies) faced immense pressure and threats from the new regime. Within months, Ayandegan was shut down, and its journalists were arrested, exiled, or forced into silence. The censorship of the women’s protests revealed the true nature of Khomeini’s rule; one that sought to erase any challenge to its authority, especially women.

Global Solidarity: Kate Millett 
The Committee for Artistic and Intellectual Freedom (CAIF) was founded in the United States in 1969 as a broader initiative to support artists, writers, and intellectuals facing repression worldwide. It was particularly active in advocating for free speech and opposing censorship in authoritarian regimes. In 1973, the Committee for Artistic and Intellectual Freedom in Iran (CAIFI) was established as a branch of CAIF in response to the Shah’s crackdown on political dissidents, intellectuals, and artists in Iran. CAIFI was founded by a coalition of Iranian expatriates, American scholars, and activists, including Reza Baraheni, a prominent Iranian writer and literary critic who had been imprisoned and tortured by the Shah’s regime.

In the years leading up to the 1979 Iranian Revolution, Iranian students abroad actively protested against the Shah’s regime, forming alliances with international activists, including Kate Millett, the American feminist and writer known for Sexual Politics. Through these connections, Millett became a trusted ally of Iranian dissidents and feminists.

CAIFI not only campaigned against censorship but also successfully pressured the Shah’s regime to release several high-profile political prisoners and intellectuals. As the revolution unfolded, it shifted its focus to challenging the new Islamic Republic’s restrictions on freedom of expression. As part of these efforts, CAIFI facilitated Kate Millett's trip to Iran, recognizing her as a leading feminist voice who could document and amplify the struggles of Iranian women.

Millett arrived in March 1979 to observe and participate in the International Women’s Day protests against mandatory hijab, joining Iranian feminists and exiled activists in bringing international attention to their cause. However, her outspoken support for the demonstrators led to her arrest and 24-hour detention, followed by her expulsion just days after her arrival—a clear indication that the new regime viewed international scrutiny of women’s rights as a threat.

Her expulsion sparked global outrage, leading to protests in cities across Europe and the United States, including Paris, London, New York, and Berlin. Women marched in solidarity with their Iranian counterparts, carrying banners that read: "No to the Veil, No to Compulsion!" and "Iranian Women Are Not Alone!"

While the regime silenced the protests domestically, Iranian women’s struggle for freedom gained significant international attention. On March 11, 1979, the fourth day of demonstrations, the French feminist group Women in Movement issued a statement of solidarity,

 “When Iranian women break their chains, all the world's women march forward with them. We have come here to give Iranian women strength and to take strength from them.”

This message was transmitted via telecommunication from the Women’s Bookstore in Paris to feminist groups across France, where daily in-person meetings were held to coordinate support for Iranian women. Without the convenience of the internet or social media, organizing such a rapid and widespread response required an extraordinary effort. Messages had to be relayed through phone calls, letters, and personal networks, relying on word of mouth, newspapers, and activist bulletins to spread awareness. Despite these challenges, solidarity protests erupted across major cities, including Paris, New York, Rome, Milan, Madrid, Barcelona, Brussels, Montreal, Vancouver, and Washington, D.C. The speed and scale of this mobilization, accomplished without digital platforms, is a testament to the power of grassroots activism, international feminist networks, and the urgency of the Iranian women’s struggle.

Further intensifying international pressure, Iranian women—both inside and outside Iran—were the driving force behind the call for global solidarity against the newly imposed restrictions on women’s rights. In response to their struggle, over 100 European and American feminists, led by the renowned French philosopher Simone de Beauvoir, joined forces with Iranian feminist exiles to form the International Committee for Women’s Rights (Comité International pour les Droits des Femmes - CIDF) on March 15, 1979. The committee aimed to amplify the voices of Iranian women and expose the reality of their fight against gender apartheid.

At the urging of Iranian feminists, CIDF organized a delegation of female journalists to travel to Iran and document the situation firsthand. On March 19, 1979, a group of 18 journalists from leading European media outlets, along with one Egyptian reporter, arrived in Tehran. Their reports, published in international newspapers, shed light on the deteriorating conditions for Iranian women post-revolution and challenged the regime’s attempts to suppress the truth. These efforts helped amplify Iranian women’s resistance on a global scale, ensuring their voices were heard beyond Iran’s borders.

The Statements and Unwavering Courage
Throughout the protests, women delivered powerful speeches and statements, standing firm despite brutal conditions (bitter cold, snowfall, and relentless opposition). Without the support of major political organizations or elite intellectuals, these women led the resistance on their terms. One of their key declarations stated,

“We did not fight against dictatorship to accept another one in its place. We demand freedom of choice, freedom of dress, and freedom to exist as equal citizens.”

Their bravery was remarkable, not only because they faced the wrath of a rising authoritarian regime but also because they did so in an atmosphere where many allies abandoned them, viewing their struggle as secondary to the larger political revolution.

Male Allies Were Absent
One of the most striking aspects of the protests was the absence of male support. Many men, even those within progressive and leftist political groups, dismissed the hijab mandate as a "secondary issue," arguing that "class struggle" and "anti-imperialism" were more important. Some even suggested that women should temporarily comply with the hijab rule for the sake of national unity.

This abandonment left the protestors isolated, further exposing the deep-rooted patriarchal structures within Iranian political movements. It was a painful lesson for Iranian women: they would have to fight their battles alone.



A Temporary Victory
By March 12, 1979, after nearly a week of nationwide protests and international outcry, the new government backed down, temporarily. Khomeini’s supporters claimed his statement had been misunderstood, and officials reassured the public that hijab would not be made mandatory. For a moment, it seemed like the protest had succeeded.

However, this only delayed their defeat. By 1981, hijab was officially enforced, and by 1983, it became punishable by law. The women who had resisted in 1979, who had fought to protect their autonomy, were now systematically removed from public life, harassed, or imprisoned.

Legacy and Connection to Today
The Women, Life, Freedom movement of 2022, sparked by the killing of Jina (Mahsa) Amini, echoes the defiant spirit of the women who marched in 1979. The struggle against compulsory hijab is not merely about clothing; it is about bodily autonomy, personal freedom, and the right of women to exist as equals in society.

The 1979 protests serve as a historical reminder of Iranian women’s longstanding resistance against gender oppression, a fight that continues to this day. Decades later, the Girls of Enghelab Street—Iranian women who bravely removed their hijabs in public and waved them like flags in 2017—stood on the same battleground, continuing the struggle their predecessors had begun. These individual acts of defiance became a new chapter in Iranian women's resistance, inspiring the world and proving that their fight never ceased—it only evolved.

From the women who lost their lives in IRI’s prisons under torture or execution to the global protests supporting Iranian women in 2022, the spirit of defiance lives on. This history will be honored not just as a memory but as a continuation of an ongoing struggle for freedom—one that connects the protests of 1979, the Girls of Enghelab Street, and the Women, Life, Freedom movement in an unbroken chain of resistance. It is carried forward through individual acts of defiance and bravery, from women standing alone in the streets removing their hijabs to political prisoners risking their lives to speak the truth. It is also reflected in the Baha’i people’s steadfast resistance against the regime’s systematic persecution, as they have endured imprisonment, execution, and denial of basic rights while refusing to renounce their faith. Across generations, these struggles intertwine, forming a collective fight for dignity, equality, and justice that remains unyielding in the face of oppression.