Since the death of a 22-year-old Kurdish woman, Mahsa Amini, who was under police custody, Iran has been protesting against the mandatory Islamic dress code for women to wear hijab. Apparently, Mahsa was detained by Iran’s morality police for defying Iran’s strict dress code by wearing hijab ‘improperly.’
Amid the ongoing protests, people worldwide have been coming out in support of the protestors. Yesterday, actress Priyanka Chopra took to Instagram to extend her support for women of Iran protesting against the death of Mahsa Amini.
In her caption, she commended the courage of women to come out and “challenge the patriarchal establishment and fight for your rights.” She also wrote that collective voice matters, so we all must add our voices to this critical movement and encourage others to do the same.
However, some people have called the actress a hypocrite for raising her voice. They say that her stand is ‘selective’ and ‘appalling.’ Here’s what people criticizing the actress wrote on Instagram.
Here’s how people on Twitter have been reacting.
While it’s understandable for people to expect a stand from the actress for issues concerning her own country, these questions rise each time a famous personality takes a stand on any world issue.
The protest in Iran highlights the Iranian stand against a regime that dictates the rights of women and curbs their independence. This independence can be one to choose religious expression by wearing hijab or the autonomy to carry on without hijab. The protests in India & Iran may be different in nature, but people are fighting for the same thing: the mere basic human right to choose.