Selena Gomez defends 'courageous' Iranian girls after they're 'detained' for dancing to her music
Singer Selena Gomez has taken to Instagram in solidarity with five courageous Iranian girls, who were arrested for dancing to her track 'Calm Down'.
The song - in collab with Nigerian rapper Rema - has gone viral on the video-sharing platform, with many fans sharing themselves dancing to the hit.
The five teenage girls had been doing this to mark International Women’s Day but were later detained by Iran’s morality police.
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After the death of 22-year-old Masha Amini in September last year, citizens of Iran have been opposing the strict religious regime and widespread protests have broken out.
Women in the country are most at risk, being prosecuted by Iran’s morality police for dancing in public and having their hair uncovered.
Having committed both these ‘crimes’, the five girls were arrested shortly after their dance to 'Calm Down' went viral.
Having located the tower block in Ekbatan, Tehran, where the video was filmed, police detained the young women for two days.
According to @shahrak_ekbatan on Twitter, the girls were also forced to confess on camera to their crimes with their hair covered with a hijab.
While it’s still unclear whether they have been able to return home, the singers behind the track have shared their admiration for the brave teenagers.
Sharing a news article on social media, Gomez spoke about how ‘inspiring’ the teenagers were to her.
“[Love] to these young women and all the women of Iran who continue to be courageous demanding fundamental changes.
"Please know your strength is inspiring”, the 30-year-old musician wrote on her Instagram story.
Rema, who also sang and penned the track, took Twitter to share his thoughts.
Alongside a clip of the video, he wrote: “To all the beautiful women who are fighting for a better world, I’m inspired by you, I sing for you and I dream for you.”
The detention of the young woman has been condemned internationally, with many calling for an end to the Islamic Republic’s rule in Iran.
Last year, the death of Masha Amini sparked global outrage and there have since been widespread protests across the country with women burning hijabs and cutting their hair in solidarity.
The most recent protest happened last week on ‘Red Wednesday’ - a traditional non-Islamic holiday and one of the few still celebrated in Iran.
Topics: World News, Politics, Iran, TikTok, Viral
Katherine Sidnell