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Join Us In a recent act of defiance, Ahoo (Mahla) Daryaei, a doctoral student in French Literature at Azad University’s Science and Research branch in Tehran, protested the oppressive enforcement of mandatory hijab in Iran by stripping down to her underwear on campus . She had reportedly been harassed by members of the university’s Basij paramilitary group — a faction of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard — who allegedly tore her clothing for not fully complying with the Islamic dress code. In response, Daryaei removed her remaining clothes, sat on campus grounds, and walked around in her underwear, leaving passersby stunned.
She was soon arrested and reportedly taken to a psychiatric hospital, a frequent strategy used by the regime against protesters. Footage of Daryaei’s bold gesture quickly spread across social media under the hashtag #GirlofScienceAndResearch ( دختر_علوم_و_تحقیقات# ), sparking both national and internat.