I can't wear the stylish clothes in Iran or I get arrested

Many teenagers around the world constantly check out the latest fashion and normally shop at Gap, Guess, or H&M stores, but for the young people of Iran it is different. We are not allowed to wear the fashion we like, the colors we choose, or the kind of outfits we want.

There is a something called, “Gashte Ershad” the government security officers who stop, arrest, and punish people for not wearing the right outfits according to the government. Normally in other countries, people get arrested for stealing or committing a crime but in Iran you could get arrested for not wearing the right clothes.

This may seem out of the ordinary for many young people around the world but it is a reality for the young people of Iran. According to rules in Iran, every woman from the age of 9 needs to cover her hair and her body. This means that every woman must have a scarf and a long coat to cover her body and her hair. I wished covering the hair and body would be enough but it is not. The kind of pants, the color of scarf, or the style of the shoes you wear could also be a reason for a young person to get arrested in Iran.

Here are some of the rules,

Don’t wear close fitting clothes
Don’t wear any bright colors like yellow and red. Normally black, brown and navy are OK. Don’t wear baggy pants
You can’t wear a jacket, unless it is worn over the long loose fitting coat
Even when it snows, a woman can’t wear a hat unless it is worn over her scarf
You can’t wear boots unless they are hidden under your loose fitting pants

I remember before Mahmoud Ahmadinejad became the president, he said he wouldn’t care about what people would wear. As soon as he became the president he didn’t fulfill his promise and young people kept getting arrested for the kind of clothes they were wearing. The religious authorities decide for what people can wear.

My cousin was recently arrested by the authorities, because her coat was not long enough and her pants were baggy style. She was thrown in a van along with so many other women who each had a supposedly violation of dressing inappropriately according to the Islamic rules. These individuals are given forms to fill out and the government authorities take their pictures as if they have committed a crime. Then the families are notified and some times fined.

If a young person gets arrested for the second time for violating the dress code, she or he could get expelled from school. You could no longer work for the government; you could face up to a month in jail or pay up $1000.00 in fines.

My friends and I like to look like any other teenager around the world, and wished we could wear the colors or the style of clothing we like. It seems unfair and cruel that our basic rights are taken away from us.

A Letter From Tehran

I am a 19 year old female student in Iran. I don’t have the right to choose the major I like to study. The government decides for me based on the score I get from the overall exam for the university admission entrance.

Since there are more applicants than actual spots in the colleges, the government will determine what you will study and therefore the government will decide what you will become.
Everybody studies hard to get into the university and then get accepted to the major of their interest.

For the young people of Iran the university is basically the only place where you have a chance to change your future. But the sad reality is that there is everything at school except a good education.

Students call it hotel instead of college. Most of the students only study right before the exam so they can just pass the class. You could only find a handful of students in our college who are really serious about their study.

Since there is no recreation in Iran, the college classrooms are an escape from the reality of the suppressive life. The college is the only place where you can hang out without worrying about getting arrested.

In my country Iran there is no such a thing as a co ed school, therefore we don’t know how to interact with the opposite sex until we go to college. As you know socializing with the opposite sex is forbidden in the public places. There is always a chance that you could get arrested.

When we are in our freshman year in college for the first time we experience to sit in a classroom with the opposite sex. As you could imagine being a teenager is hard enough, the confusions of who you want to be and finding your identity, then there is the added element of dealing with the opposite sex. How to act, how to laugh, how to be with the opposite sex???

Could you imagine studying in an environment where you deal with this completely new feeling on daily basis? For guys, having a connection with a female is mostly about sexual relationship. For the females too, since the friendship between opposite sex has not developed for 18 years, the sexual desires are the only connection that is developed. So it becomes hard to focus on your goals without being distracted. Imagine a girl who is raised in a suppressed society where there is no freedom of expression, media, or religion as a result we really don’t get to experience a normal social evolution.

In my country Iran, my friends still don’t understand the difference between friendship and relationship.One will think just because you are communicating with a male that guy will become your boyfriend.

Unlike other places in the world the young people of Iran can not dream of a future because those wishes most likely will never be fulfilled.

A young person in Iran needs money to be able to do many things but there is no work. If you want to get a job any where first they require experience. There are no minimum wage jobs. Even the least complicated jobs require experience. Could some body explain to me how that is possible? How could a young person who barely graduated from High School have experience?

The young people of Iran can’t and don’t set any real goals, because they know it is almost not a reality to be able to reach that goal.

In a country where everything is based on who knows whom, what happens to a person who does not have anyone?

In Iran, since young people have nothing to dream about it, or can’t even get a basic job, drugs become their refuge; at least a temporary refuge. Drugs make them numb so they can’t escape their shattered realities of life.

The number of brain drain is outstanding. If anyone wants to really become something whether being an artist or a doctor they have to leave Iran.

In my country no body cares about me or my friends, people have lost their values. In Iran we have a high rate of suicide. I can say within the past 8 years about 200 students have killed themselves. Why? I guess young people can’t dream about their goals for the future.
In my country, me and my friends check all the online stores and are aware of all the latest fashion, yet we can’t even wear bright colors such as yellow or red.

If you show a piece of hair or if you wear tight outfits or short pants and have some make up you could get arrested. Can you imagine we get arrested for what we like to wear and the government authorities treat us like criminals? They detain you, take your pictures and start a case which then goes to the court.

In Iran if someone discusses politics, criticizes the government, or simply demands her or his rights they will end up in jail. No body can defend their rights. Even a lawyer can’t necessarily help you because as far as the government is concerned there are no such laws to defend these rights. The only place I can communicate my thoughts freely with my friends and connect to the outside world is through the internet. But not so free, the government can get into my yahoo messenger chat and arrest me for some made up excuse.

I hope to experience freedom in my country, but meanwhile for those of you reading my blog please understand that we the young Iranians love life, love people and we have the same dreams as any other young person in this world.