An interview with Masih Alinejad, an Iranian journalist and activist, on the current protests and her hopes for the end of the Islamic Republic
CREDIT: Kambiz Foroohar
MASIH ALINEJAD WAS born in the small village of Qomi Kola in northern Iran. She became politically active at a young age and was arrested at the age of 18 for producing leaflets critical of the government. In 2014, she launched My Stealthy Freedom, where she invited Iranian women to post pictures of themselves without a hijab. Three years later, she wrote a book about her experiences in the country. The publication of Wind in My Hair: My Fight for Freedom in Modern Iran led journalist Tina Brown to call Alinejad “a flame-thrower for the rights of all women who live under the thumb of repression and injustice”.
Since 2019, anyone sending Alinejad videos has been threatened with 10 years in prison. However, since the death in custody of Mahsa Amini in September 2022, her social media accounts have been filled with hard-hitting testimony from protesters around the country.
INDEX How did you become an activist?
MASIH ALINEJAD I became an activist in high school. I just wanted what all teenagers wanted – more freedom. At high school we formed a club and read books on history and politics that we could find and published a newsletter, which was forbidden. There was nothing controversial but we talked about liberty and democracy, which I guess was a bad move. Very soon, all of us were arrested and I spent some time in jail and received a suspended sentence, which meant I couldn’t attend university.
Later I became a journalist and decided that I wanted to focus on areas that were neglected by policymakers and other journalists. I investigated corruption and mismanagement and that landed me in trouble again and again.
In 2009, around the time of the Green Protests, I was forced to leave the country or be jailed. In exile, as a journalist I focused on human rights violations of the Islamic Republic and became a voice for the victims of the regime. In 2014, I launched My Stealthy Freedom campaign against compulsory hijab laws in Iran.
INDEX What is the #WhiteWednesdays campaign?
MASIH ALINEJAD The White Wednesday campaign started in May 2017, as an initiative of My Stealthy Freedom, and it was about taking our campaign from social media into the streets of Iran. MSF had started as a Facebook campaign and we were bombarded with videos and pictures from women inside Iran sending pictures and videos of themselves without hijab. After three years, it seemed the time had come to challenge the authorities. Women would go without hijab or wear white on Wednesdays to show their opposition to the compulsory hijab rules.
INDEX How much are Iranians aware of the deaths of young people, particularly women and girls, in the recent protests?
MASIH ALINEJAD The whole of Iran is aware of the deaths and the revolution that is under way. More than 400 people have been killed and at least another 15,000 have been arrested. The regime is threatening more crackdowns.
INDEX Do the internet shutdowns have a large impact on the ability of people to hear the news?
MASIH ALINEJAD When the world is not watching, the regime goes on a murdering rampage. We have seen internet shutdowns in the Kurdish region, in the Baluch region and in parts of the country that faced heavy crackdowns. That’s why it’s important for democratic countries to provide access to the internet to the Iranian people.
INDEX Have the protests achieved an unstoppable momentum?
MASIH ALINEJAD I believe we are hearing the death knell of the Islamic Republic. It is the beginning of the end. But it’s also important to remember that we are in a marathon and not in a 100-metre race.
INDEX If you were detained and could take one book to jail with you, what would it be?
MASIH ALINEJAD The Wind in My Hair, so that my jailers could read it.
INDEX What piece of art has moved you the most?
MASIH ALINEJAD I am moved by human interactions.
INDEX What news headline would you most like to read?
MASIH ALINEJAD Islamic Republic consigned to the dustbin of history. X
