Melek chops off hair to show support to anti-hijab protests in Iran

Turkish singer Melek Mosso has come forward to show support to Iranian women protesting over the death of Mahsa Amini.

Mahsa was arrested on September 13 as she was leaving a Tehran metro station with her brother and other relatives. She was arrested for allegedly breaching Iran's strict rules for women on wearing hijab headscarves and modest clothing. Mahsa was in a coma for three days, then died "of natural causes," as the authorities claim, but according to activists, the cause of her death was a fatal blow to the head.

After the incident, Iran exploded in protests.

Turkish singer Melek recently caught everyone's attention when she cut her hair on stage in solidarity with the protesters in Iran.

Melek's several videos and images went viral in which she is seen standing on the stage holding a pair of scissors and a mic in each of her hands. While the crowd cheers for her, Melek can be seen chopping her hair off.

Netizens lauded the singer for showing her support to women in Iran.

"The solidarity of artists in the world continues since the #IranRevolution against the regime of religious tyranny. During a concert, Turkish singer @MelekMosso chopped off her hair in solidarity with the Iranian women," a social media user tweeted.

Turkish singer @MelekMosso cuts off her hair on stage in solidarity with the Iranian women. Thank you Melek!#BreakingNews #IranRevolution#MahsaAmini #mhs_myny #IranProtests2022#IranProtests2022 pic.twitter.com/NTUc18YyBh

— World People Awesome (@World_Peopleosm) September 29, 2022

"Turkish singer @MelekMosso cuts off her hair on stage in solidarity with the Iranian women. Thank you Melek," another one wrote.

Melek also took to Instagram and dropped her video of cutting her hair.

Following the 1979 Islamic Revolution, women must wear the hijab by law in Iran. The policy is largely unpopular, with Iranian women commonly wearing the headscarf loosely around their ears or letting it drop to the neck. When the rule was implemented in 1981, it triggered mass demonstrations, which have continued sporadically ever since, reported Euronews.