The Flogging of Mehdi Yarrahi
In 2023 the singer Mehdi Yarrahi was arrested in Iran for releasing a song inspiring women to take off their hijabs. In the Islamic Republic of Iran wearing a hijab is compulsory for women. Yarrahi spent a year in prison for his “crime.” On Mar. 6, 2025 he was given 74 lashes by his tormentors.
On his X account (@yarrahimehdi) Yarrahi wrote: “He who is unwilling to pay a price for freedom is unworthy of it.”
Yarrahi’s song is titled “Roo Sarito” which means “Your Headscarf” in Farsi. The singer was arrested four days after the song’s release. IRNA, the Islamic Republic’s propaganda news agency, accused Yarrahi of “releasing an illegal song that is against the morals and customs of Islamic society.” Here’s an example of those immoral lyrics: “Take off your scarf, the sun is sinking, take off your scarf, let your hair flow. Don’t be afraid, my love! Laugh, protest against tears.”
The Islamic fundamentalists that rule Iran maintain a “morality police” force with the Orwellian name of Guidance Patrol. It particularly enforces Sharia law and Islamic dress codes for women. The wearing of hijab is mandatory for all Iranian women. Article 638 of the Islamic Penal Code, dictates that Iranian women can be arrested, imprisoned, or fined for not wearing prescribed Islamic dress.
The preferred style of hijab in Iran is the full-body-length semicircle of fabric called chādor. Millions of women have been warned by the Guidance Patrol to wear hijab, many have been imprisoned for refusing… some have been killed.
On Sept. 13, 2022 the goons of the Guidance Patrol arrested 22-year-old Mahsa Amini for the crime of wearing her hijab “improperly.” She was taken to a police station where she was beaten to death. The killing of Mahsa led to huge protests calling for liberty that occurred all across Iran under the slogan of “Women, Life, Freedom.” In their attempt to repress the protests, the “security forces” of the Islamic Republic of Iran shot and killed over 185 protesters.
As of this writing the Islamic Republic of Iran is considering a bill titled “Protecting the Family by Promoting the Culture of Hijab and Chastity.” It calls for dissolving the Guidance Patrol, but replacing it with high-tech facial recognition software that will identify violators of rigid Islamic dress codes. Those that disobey the law will face severe financial penalties and prison sentences up to 10 years. Persons unable to pay fines may have their passport, driver’s license, or vehicle registration denied. Digital spaces will be monitored for violations, and those online who promote violating the dress codes will be punished.
For now Mehdi Yarrahi is alive and on the mend. The insane zealots of the Islamic Republic will no doubt have their evil eyes on him. He will lick his wounds, and continue to write beautiful songs. I wish that American artists had the courage of Yarrahi. One day Iran will be free. Just remember the words of Martin Luther King Jr., “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.”
As an American artist, I cherish the First Amendment of the US Constitution, which assures I have the God given right to free speech and free expression. We must hold those words to heart. I hope that one day Mehdi Yarrahi and all Iranians who have suffered so much abuse at the hands of tyrants, will live as free people.