In yet another sign of the changing times, and attitudes in the region, the iconic Israeli artist and singer, Rita, was a guest on a Saudi-Arabian funded TV channel based in London called 'Iran International,' and addressed all Iranian women in Farsi, amid the ongoing protests in Iran following the death of Mehsa Amini.
"Hello dear Iranians, I am Rita Yahan-Frooz, today I stand by your side, by the side of the Iranian people, and especially by the side of my dear sisters, the brave women in Iran, women who these days stand as heroes in the face of shooting bullets to achieve freedom. Today all the women in the world are Mahsa Amini. Woman, life and freedom."
Legendary Israeli pop singer Rita sends a message in Farsi to the women of Iran: โyou stand as heroes for freedom in the face of bulletsโhttps://t.co/yJtwV3rxZt
โ David Hazony (@davidhazony) September 23, 2022
Rita was born in Tehran to a traditional Persian-Jewish family. Her family immigrated to Israel when she was just 8 years old and settled in the city of Hod Hasharon.
The protest in Iran began following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who was arrested in Tehran by the Police when she came to visit the Iranian capital with her family members. Eyewitnesses told her father that the police forced her into the car, and the reason for her arrest was that she did not wear her head covering properly.
During the arrest, Amini fell into a coma likely due to torturing methods used by the Iranian regime, and on Friday she was pronounced dead at a hospital in Tehran. The Tehran police deny that she was beaten and insist that the young woman had a random heart attack during the arrest.
The solidarity message of the famous Israeli singer Rita Jahanfroz to the people of Iran: I am with you today, the people of Iran, and especially my sisters, the brave women of Iran. #Mehsa_Amini pic.twitter.com/LojVoI8ddG
โ ZionWarrior (@ZionWarrior6) September 23, 2022
Islamic Sharia law, enforced in Iran since the Islamic Revolution in 1979, requires women to cover their hair and wear long, loose-fitting clothes. Women who break the law risk arrest, public reprimanding, a fine, or all of the above.
Despite this, many Iranian women violate these rules and wear tight clothes and head coverings of different colors. They pull their coverings back to reveal as much of their hair as possible. In recent months, amid the rise of extreme-Islamist President Ibrahim Raisi, there have been reports of an increase in the enforcement of the rules of modesty.
Iranian ๐ฎ๐ท born Israeli ๐ฎ๐ฑ singer Rita Yahan-Farouz has been chosen as torch-bearer for Independence Day ceremonies. Her songs are popular in both Israel and Iran. Messages of peace from Israel to the Iranian people. pic.twitter.com/PusqnDUNLa
โ Avi Kaner ุงุจุฑุงููู ืืื (@AviKaner) April 17, 2022
The United Nations reported that the morality police in Iran increased their activities in 2022. Earlier this month the authorities in Tehran even boasted that they had arrested 300 people on suspicion of taking part In the campaign against the obligation for women to wear a head covering.
