Amid anti-Hijab protests in Iran, former United States President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle expressed their solidarity with Iranian women. On the occasion of International Day of the girl, the Obama couple released a statement in support of women in Iran. “On this International Day of the Girl, we stand in solidarity with the courageous Iranian women and girls who have inspired the world through their ongoing protests,” they said.
Widespread protests erupted in Iran after a 22-year woman, Mahsa Amini died on September 16 after being detained by the country's Morality Police for allegedly not wearing a Hijab properly.
“The rights they seek are universal: equality, the ability to make their own choices about how they look and dress and express their identities, and the freedom to do so without facing harassment, intimidation, and violence,” said Barack and Michelle Obama.
“We are in awe of the Iranian girls who have played such a leadership role in insisting that the future be different from the past, and that Iranian women enjoy the full rights and opportunities that they deserve,” they added.
Applauding the women for their efforts, the Obamas said that they “are delivering a powerful message that injustice should not be tolerated.”
To all those who are out there advocating for your rights-we are moved by your acts of protest, and bear witness to your bravery in facing down the brutality of a regime resisting calls for change, the statement read.
“There are surely difficult days ahead, and our hearts go out to those who have tragically lost loved ones in Iran. But we believe that the future will ultimately belong to the young women and girls of Iran who are refusing to be silent. You remind us that true power comes not from clinging to the past, but from the effort to build a better future,” the statement added.