Alinejad speaks at Democracy Summit

BY HEYA SHAH

The Dartmouth

This article was originally published on Feb. 13, 2023.

Last Wednesday, Iranian-American journalist and women’s rights activist Masih Alinejad spoke at Filene Auditorium at an event titled “Ending Gender Apartheid in Iran.” The talk was the inaugural event for the Democracy Summit — a student-led series exploring contemporary democracy — and hosted by the Dartmouth Political Union, the Rockefeller Center for Public Policy and the Dickey Center for International Understanding.

Alinejad gained worldwide attention in 2014 when she removed her hijab and posted a picture of her hair blowing in the wind on Facebook. Since then, Alinejad has become a popular symbol and fgure of dissent against the Islamic regime.

Alinejad spoke to a crowd of 170, and according to DPU president Jessica Chiriboga ’24, the event was entirely booked in advance. The event was also live-streamed on the College’s YouTube channel.

Because of her continued outspoken criticism against the Islamic Regime in Iran, Alinejad herself has been targeted in two assassination and kidnapping plots in the United States, Chiriboga said. Security detail was higher than usual for Alinejad’s safety, according to DPU vice president Dylan Grifth ’25. He added that the event involved Safety and Security, the Hanover Police Department and plain-clothed ofcers.

The event began with an introduction by Chiriboga and Grifth, followed by an interview moderated by Middle Eastern studies lecturer Andrew Simon and an audience question and answer session.

Chiriboga said that Alinejad gained notoriety for the viral My Stealthy Freedom social media campaign against the compulsory hijab in Iran. The campaign, which has almost 11 million followers today, has progressed into the biggest civil disobedience movement in the history of the Islamic republic, Chiriboga added.

“Her activism led her to be kicked out of school, college, parliament and eventually her country in 2009,” Chiriboga said.

Alinejad has continued to dissent against the Iranian government during the current protests in Iran, Chiriboga added. The protests in Iran started last September