Ashkan Khatibi's reaction to the lack of services for women without a hijab

Ashkan Khatibi reacted to the lack of services provided to women without a headscarf by various centers.

Ashkan Khatibi, born in 1958, is an actor, singer, presenter, and director. He had posted posts on Instagram against the regime during the 1401 protests, and under the pretext of stories published in which he had insulted sacred places and criticized the regime, he was physically attacked on the street by plainclothes men and repeatedly received death threats over the phone, to the point that he gave up his phone line and stopped working.

Khatibi had announced that after the physical attack and threats, he had a stroke and that he would have a nervous breakdown when he remembered what had happened to him. But he announced with hope that this blood would not be wiped away, that now was the time to wake up. Because the day would come and the stage would be free.

Ashkan Khatibi's reaction, however, did not remain silent and responded to the lack of services for women without a hijab by posting a photo on his Twitter page.

During the Nowruz holidays, when people traveled to recreational places, most of them appeared without hijabs and bravely stood up to the authorities. However, according to the government's statement to all centers regarding the lack of services for women without hijabs, many centers also refused to provide services to women and girls without hijabs.

The photo that Ashkan Khatibi published is of the Isfahan metro, which refuses to sell tickets to women who are not wearing the hijab. He wrote about it: “The circulars issued in the new year to various executive bodies and service centers, and the use of the keyword ‘politically forbidden’, etc., all indicate the government’s official call for a civil war. A war in which the freedom-loving people of Iran, most of whom have been deprived of their civil rights and are being deprived of their lives, must fight for survival against the government’s supporters, who are a minority, like the fire of freedom.”

They have power, money, weapons, and government support, but we have empty hands, a grudge in our throats, tears in our eyes, and a fire in our hearts. The battle is unequal, but let's not forget that we are the majority, we are countless, and that is what they do not have. Watch their celebrations, marches, and TV shows to understand how alone they are, but on the other hand, a few seconds of video of the courage of a local shopkeeper leads to a flood of support and reaction.

Now, men are gradually not staying silent about assaults and insults against women in public places. Especially in this crushing economic and security pressure, we must also be mindful of the families of the immortals, the prisoners, or those who lost their eyes on the way to freedom. We must embrace each other tightly. The common pain we have is our bond, let's not shout it at each other, but unite and shout our cry at the ruinous system. Leftists, republicans, monarchists, secularists, and religious people, we all want the same thing, and that is freedom from tyranny. Let us remember that regardless of our view of religion, we have lived and grown up for years in a family or society that believes in religious rituals and beliefs. Radical reactions to these traditions or tendencies do not attract maximum attention.

"There are so many families and religious individuals whose thoughts and hearts are with us. We must encourage them to abandon passivity and join the uprising of "Women of Life, Freedom." Over the past two hundred days, the diverse Iranian society has repeatedly shouted this unity from the east and west, north and south, in the streets and in cyberspace. These days, everyday life in Iran is a war. The more numerous we are, the greater our hope of victory."

The unity, solidarity, and widespread presence of the people on the streets indicate the victory of the popular revolution and the fall of the regime, which the regime is fully aware of. The secret to victory is this solidarity, which has become interconnected like a chain.