Turbans Thrown: Yes or No
Turbans Thrown: Yes or No. Images and videos of a phenomenon called turban throwing are increasingly being published these days. It is unclear where this idea originated. Some believe that the green light was first given by a cleric, and while no one even considered this issue, he, as social media users say, spoiled it with a sentence.
A text attributed to Ayatollah Arafi, the director of religious seminaries, was published about a month ago with the content that if those who remove and burn shawls and scarves are not stopped, they will also come for the cloak and turban. However, later, Hawza News, quoting one of Arafi’s close associates, wrote that he had not stated such a thing in any meeting or speech and that what was attributed to him was completely false and untrue.
Although some attribute the origin of this phenomenon to radical revolutionary figures, like the image of Karroubi’s turban being thrown during the events of 2009, or a similar account by Abtahi, Khatami’s office manager, about a physical confrontation with radical conservatives. Meanwhile, the release of an audio file from Ayatollah Khomeini from the 1960s about removing the turbans of corrupt government-affiliated clerics has become another justification for this phenomenon not being new or strange.
Protest with a Hint of Fun
Even if this sentence was entirely fabricated, it seems to have made its impact, and the individual or group that consciously or unconsciously disseminated it has achieved its goal. Every day, a video or image of a cleric’s turban being thrown is published. It seems that for some, mostly teenagers, turban throwing is considered a fun activity or game. This involves one person starting to film beforehand and another quietly approaching a cleric, throwing off his turban, and running away.
It’s considered fun because this type of protest involves minimal violence and profanity. However, the videos quickly cut off or end after the turban is thrown, and it is unclear whether any verbal or physical altercation occurred afterward or if any of these youths have ever been arrested for turban throwing or public disturbance.
A while ago, a journalist who had been a parliamentary reporter for a long time tweeted that he had seen Hamid Rasaei, a former parliament member close to the Stability Front, in the street without a turban, implicitly accusing him of being too afraid to go out with a turban anymore. However, Rasaei responded, saying that he was mistaken and that he always moves around with his cloak and turban.
Dry and Wet
The apparent issue is that the act of turban throwing is a symbolic protest against the behavior and structural political policies in which the clergy are in charge. From the perspective of the supporters of this act, it doesn’t matter what past or background the cleric passing by on the street has, whether they support or oppose current policies, have spoken and acted in line with or against them, or hold any governmental or ruling position at all.
Some sarcastic interpretations have also been used to justify the phenomenon of turban throwing. For example, a social media user wrote that when a woman is harassed for her way of dressing and then is told it was her fault for dressing in a way that provoked others, now we say to the clerics it’s your own fault; you shouldn’t have dressed in a way that provokes us to throw off your turban.
Synthesis Instead of Repeating Thesis and Antithesis
However, some believe that the phenomenon of turban throwing, which implies a sense of social insecurity for a group, is a repetition of a vicious cycle of thesis and antithesis while we are now seeking synthesis. A writer named Seyed Hashem Firoozi wrote to the turban-throwing teenagers that you are not supposed to become the antithesis of what you object to and ultimately continue the false and deceitful cycle of polarization. Our ideal social life in Iran is a thoughtful life with the presence of everyone.
Ahmad Zeidabadi, in a critical view of this phenomenon, wrote that turban throwing mainly targets clerics who hold no governmental positions and may themselves be critics and even victims of current policies. Clerics who hold high positions in the system usually do not appear in public so easily, and if they do, they have the necessary protection and care.
Zeidabadi also mentioned an experience in this regard, saying that a while ago, during a trip to Najafabad, Isfahan, he encountered an elderly cleric who was forced to raise his hands and say, ‘By God, I am not a government cleric,’ when faced with street protesters. Zeidabadi further objected to why fair-minded and tolerant intellectuals do not warn about these phenomena.
Concerns About Turban Throwing in the Region
Nevertheless, it seems that this phenomenon has attracted so much attention that it has even caused concern in Iraq. On November 17, Muqtada al-Sadr, a prominent Iraqi cleric, published a statement on his Twitter account in response to the widespread protests in Iran, writing that opposition to hijab might spread to other countries in the region and lead from throwing turbans to removing the hijab from the heads of virtuous women.
This is while there is no such thing as mandatory hijab in Iraq, and the ruling government is secular. However, the Iraqi people, compared to Iran, have more adherence to religion and tradition in terms of customs, and ironically, the conflicts there have more of a religious and ethnic tone than non-religious.
At one time, the Arab Spring phenomenon swept through Arab Islamic countries like a domino effect. Muqtada al-Sadr is probably concerned that this time a phenomenon with an anti-custom and anti-religion flavor might become widespread.
Iran Gate has published many special articles about the popular protests in Iran. Below are a few recommendations related to this article:
- Iran Protests and Exaggeration About Generation Z
- Iranian People’s Protests and Non-Violence: Yes or No
- A Polarized Society and an Accusation Called Playing the Middle
