History Today: How Mahsa Amini’s death triggered historic protest by Iranian women

Jina Mahsa Amini, a young woman from Iran in her early twenties, died on this day in 2022 while being held by the country’s morality police for wearing what they called ‘improper’ clothing.

Her death triggered anger across Iran, where public frustration with the government was already high, and led to a large and lasting wave of protests.

Also on this day in 1620, the Mayflower left England carrying 102 passengers on its journey to America.

On this day in 1963, Malaysia was formed, bringing together Malaya (now Peninsular Malaysia), Singapore, and the northern Borneo regions of Sarawak and Sabah.

As part of Firstpost Explainers’ History Today series, here’s a look at what happened on September 16:

The death of Jina Mahsa Amini

Jina Mahsa Amini, an Iranian woman in her early twenties, died on September 16, 2022, while in the custody of the country’s Gasht-e Ershad (also known as the “morality police”) for what they described as “improper” clothing.

Her death caused massive anger in Iran, where frustration with the government was already high, and it sparked a wave of protests that spread across the country.

These protests over Amini’s death reflected deep and long-standing grievances linked to government neglect and were expressed through the slogan “Woman, Life, Freedom.”

In 2022, the government of Ebrahim Raisi introduced strict measures enforcing state-approved dress and behaviour, shaped by the country’s ruling class of mainly Persian Shiʿi clerics.

On the evening of September 13, Amini and her brother reached Tehran to visit relatives. As they left the train station, she was stopped by the Gasht-e Ershad for “improper” clothing and told she would be taken to a detention centre for a class on mandatory public dress.

Later that evening at the detention centre, Amini collapsed. She went into a coma and was taken to the hospital, where she died three days later, on September 16.

The reason for her collapse and death is still unclear. Her family was initially told she had suffered a heart attack and a stroke.

At first, the reaction was local. Amini’s death struck a chord within a decades-long movement among Kurds protesting the killing of Kurdish women.

Security forces clashed with mourners, and news of the violence spread quickly. Protests soon erupted in cities across Iran.

Mayflower departs for America

On September 16, 1620, the Mayflower set sail from Plymouth in England, carrying 102 passengers bound for America.

The ship was meant to reach Virginia, where the British crown had permitted them to settle.

However, rough seas and navigational mistakes pushed the Mayflower off course. During the difficult Atlantic crossing, the 90-foot vessel faced violent storms and ended up more than 500 miles away from its intended destination.

During the journey, the settlers drafted and signed the Mayflower Compact, which pledged them to form a “civil body politic.”

On November 21, the group later known as the “Pilgrims” reached Massachusetts, where they founded the first lasting European settlement in New England in late December.

Thirty-five of the travellers were members of the radical English Separatist Church, seeking to escape the authority of the Church of England, which they believed was corrupt.

A decade earlier, religious persecution had driven some Separatists to flee to Holland for religious freedom.

But many grew dissatisfied with life and economic prospects there, and under the leadership of William Bradford, they decided to move to Virginia, where an English colony had been set up at Jamestown in 1607.

Malaysia was established

On this day in 1963, the idea of creating a new state called Malaysia became a reality.

At its formation, Malaysia included Malaya (now Peninsular Malaysia), Singapore, and the northern Borneo territories of Sarawak and Sabah.

On July 9, 1963, the United Kingdom, Malaya, North Borneo, Sarawak, and Singapore signed an agreement to establish Malaysia.

The plan aimed to complete all legal steps for its creation by the end of July or early August, with Malaysia Day to be marked on August 31, 1963.

However, the declaration was delayed, and the new state officially came into being on September 16, 1963, after a final attempt by Indonesia to stop its formation.

In August 1965, Singapore left the federation and became an independent republic.

This Day, That Year

1975: Papua New Guinea became fully independent from Australia.

1978: Mohammad Zia-ul-Haq was declared president of Pakistan.

1978: A 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck Tabas in Iran, killing more than 11,000 people.