Exclusive: 'Was forced to strip, govt uses sexual violence against female protesters,' says Iranian Christian activist

In 2020, Mary Mohammadi was taken to a detention center near Iran’s capital Tehran. Officials told her that her hair was visible. In the basement of the all-female detention center, Mary was forced to strip. “If my hair is a problem, is it not a problem to force me to take off all my clothes? Is this Islamic?,” Mary told Firstpost in an exclusive conversation. The incident was part of the sexual violence that the regime has been using to suppress female protesters and activists, Mary said. “During protests, security personnel touch female demonstrators inappropriately. They want to make women fearful of stepping out,” she said.

24-year-old Mary has been on the radar of Iranian officials for several reasons. Born to a Muslim family, she converted to Christianity in 2017. Christian converts and other religious minorities like the Bahais are not recognised in Iran. Over the last few years, Mary has faced persecution from the authorities in the form of arrests and interrogations due to her faith as well as activism. The personnel who transferred her to the detention center in 2020 belonged to the morality police which is currently in the eye of the storm due to the death of Mahsa Amini which has triggered nationwide protests in Iran. But it’s not just the morality police who target women for not wearing the mandatory hijab or a head scarf or wearing it improperly. According to Mary “radical Muslims do it too.” In 2019, Mary was on a bus in Tehran. It was a hot day and she had taken off her hijab. Suddenly a fully veiled woman approached Mary and asked her to cover her hair. “When I refused, an argument ensued during which the woman attacked me & my face was left bloodied,” Mary said. The activist somehow managed to take the woman to the police station. According to Mary, the officers dissuaded her from filing a complaint and even threatened her with arrest.

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“They (police) were very kind to that woman. They let her go at 10 pm but kept me in custody till 3 am,” she added. “Radical Muslims can even attack minorities in public because the regime is behind them, “Islamic hijab is mandatory in Iran even for non-Muslims. I am a Christian but I must wear hijab,” she said. Mary’s activism and faith also took a personal toll. Without giving any reason, her university barred her from appearing in exams. But what was more hurtful for Mary was the treatment meted out to her by a former employer who was also a close friend. “The gymnast training center where I worked was shut down during the COVID lockdown. I kept asking my employers when I can return and they told me and they are still closed,” Mary said. One day, the activist turned up at the center unannounced and saw that it was fully operational. Mary was not given her job back and believes that her employer and the university faced pressure from the authorities. Constant threats that Mary said were from the authorities forced her to flee Iran in February 2022. The activist who is currently living in the US told Firstpost that in her home country security forces “continue to use sexual violence in the ongoing protests.” ‘Iranians demand complete revolution’ Unprecedented demonstrations erupted in Iran after 22-year-old woman Mahsa Amini died on 16 September following her arrest by the morality police. While the state media has put the death toll to be around 40, human rights activists have said that over 230 demonstrators have been killed in the crackdown by the security forces so far. Despite the intensifying clampdown, the protests which started out against mandatory hijab have gradually spiraled into a larger movement. Mary said that it’s because “Iranians have no reason to be patient.” “There are many issues in Iran. Mahsa Amini’s not the first person murdered by the regime. Many Iranians even those living abroad have joined the protests. Iranians want a complete revolution,” she said. But Mary still feels that it will take several protests before the government will do away with the mandatory hijab despite being under pressure.

“The reformist in the government are pushing for some reforms to stop the protest. But it’s too late. This protest is different. People have been on the streets for a month. They won’t back down, “It’s a very special period in the history of Iran,” she said.