Reports have emerged that five young Iranian women have been arrested after they were filmed dancing to a hit song by Nigerian Afrobeat singer and rapper, Rema. The video of the women dancing to Rema’s song ‘Calm Down’ without headscarves went viral on social media on March 8, coinciding with International Women’s Day.
The women were reportedly arrested by Iranian
authorities who have expressed concerns about their well-being after filming
themselves dancing. Activists from the Ekbatan area where the women were filmed
first posted the video on Telegram and Twitter. They claimed that the
authorities had been asking residents in the area if they knew the women based
on the footage.
The video of the women dancing showed them
slightly revealing their stomachs, which is considered provocative under
Iranian law. It is illegal for women to dance in public in Iran and to not wear
the Islamic headscarf. The women were allegedly forced into confessing by the
authorities.
The abolition of the obligatory headscarf rule
has been one of the main demands of civil unrest in Iran that began in
September after the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman who was arrested
for allegedly violating the dress code.
In a separate video that emerged later, four
women appeared with their heads fully covered expressing regret, but the
circumstances in which it was made could not be verified. The women’s current
whereabouts and whether they have been released remains unclear.
Ekbatan, the area where the women were filmed
dancing, has seen several anti-regime actions in recent months. Rema, the
artist whose song the women danced to, retweeted the video of the women with
their long hair uncovered and expressed his admiration for women fighting for a
better world.
The song ‘Calm Down’ became a global hit
after Rema issued a remix with American singer and actress Selena Gomez. The
incident has once again highlighted the strict social codes governing women’s
behavior in Iran and the authorities’ crackdown on those who violate them.
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