Remarks by Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Poisoning of schoolgirls ‘unforgivable crime’ This is anecdotal confirmation of reports that thousands of girls have been victims of poison attacks in the Islamic Republic over the past few months. The first such incident was recorded in November amid protests by women in the holy city of Qom. Iranian Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini dies While in the custody of the notorious morality police. Since then, there have reportedly been thousands of girls in at least 25 of Iran’s 31 provinces. hit by poison, Initially there were two theories, the first suggesting that it may be an act by religious extremists opposed to girls attending schools and the second that psychological factors may be the cause, at least in some cases. Mr. Khamenei’s comments suggest that the authorities are seriously considering the possibility of chemical poisoning. The reports have created panic, triggering protests in several parts of the country, perhaps prompting the Supreme Leader to make the statement. Mr. Khamenei said on Monday that the regime would not spare whoever was responsible, but on the same day, reports emerged of the arrest of Qom journalist, Ali Pourtabatabei, who had reported the poisoning.
Iran, unlike Afghanistan under the Taliban, does not have a history of preventing girls from attending schools. After the Islamic Revolution of 1979, the regime placed restrictions on women, but encouraged their education and involvement in the workforce. According to the World Bank, female literacy has increased from 26% in 1976 to 85% in 2021. For more than a decade, women have consistently outnumbered men in Iran’s universities. Given this history, it is surprising that schoolgirls are being targeted, which did not even happen at the height of the revolution. Therefore such incidents should jolt the authorities to act. It cannot be a coincidence that the targeting of schoolgirls comes at a time when thousands of women, including schoolgirls, are demanding greater freedom. The response of the regime has been brutal. But the mullahs must realize that if the economic and social crisis persists, they will further weaken a regime that is already seeing waves of protest. Incidents like the poison attack will only worsen the situation in the growing gulf between the country’s youth and its aging revolutionaries. The government should bring the people responsible to justice. But the bigger problem is the lack of reform in Iran’s system and the growing rift between the state and society. The wave of protest is as much a challenge to governance as it is an opportunity to drive political reforms. Mullahs should embrace the latter to address the former.
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