Ammāmeparāni (

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

:عمامه‌پرانی; ''"turban throwing"'', ''"knocking off the turban"''), often referred to as ''turban knocking'' in English, is a protest action by Iranians in which they throw the

turban A turban (from Persian language, Persian دولبند‌, ''dolband''; via Middle French ''turbant'') is a type of headwear based on cloth winding. Featuring many variations, it is worn as customary headwear by people of various cultures. Commun ...

off the head of a

mullah Mullah () is an honorific title for Islam, Muslim clergy and mosque Imam, leaders. The term is widely used in Iran and Afghanistan and is also used for a person who has higher education in Islamic theology and Sharia, sharia law. The title h ...

(

Akhund Akhund () is a Persian language, Persian title or surname for Islamic scholars, common in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Azerbaijan. Other names for similar Muslim Scholar include Sheikh and Mullah. The Standard Chin ...

) in order to express their disgust with the Shia clergy and therefore insult it. The action is normally done through the protester running past the subject, knocking the headdress while continuing to run off to avoid capture. During the

Mahsa Amini protests Civil unrest and protests against the Government of Iran, government of the Islamic Republic of Iran associated with the Death in custody, death in police custody of Death of Mahsa Amini#Victim, Mahsa Amini () began on 16 September 2022 and ca ...

in Iran of 2022, people would take videos doing this action, publishing them on social media, resulting in a brief

popularization In sociology, popularity is how much a person, idea, place, item or other concept is either liked or accorded status by other people. Liking can be due to reciprocal liking, interpersonal attraction, and similar factors. Social status can be d ...

of the protest method. ''Turban knocking'' soon came to be seen as an expression of women’s resistance to the clerical establishment, with women who premeditated the act doing so while lacking a hair covering – an act punishable by law. Engaging in this illegal act, was, however, purposeful, as well as holding precedent. Combining these two forms of protest, as simply as the act of a woman refusing to cover their hair, serves three purposes, amongst others. First is acting as an expression of refusal to cooperate with Iranian theocratic law. Second is acting as an expression of

civil disobedience Civil disobedience is the active and professed refusal of a citizenship, citizen to obey certain laws, demands, orders, or commands of a government (or any other authority). By some definitions, civil disobedience has to be nonviolent to be cal ...

towards the

Iranian Morality Police The Guidance Patrol () or morality police is an Islamic religious police force and vice squad in the Law Enforcement Command of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Its role is to enforce Sharia law as defined by Iranian legislation, with a particular ...

, who during the

were a primary target of the goals of the protesters. Third is acting to increase attention to the protests, indicate the existence of civil discontent, and promote engagement and topical virality, by engaging in such a contextually politically, religiously, and socially controversial act, and consequently angering sympathizers of the

status quo is a Latin phrase meaning the existing state of affairs, particularly with regard to social, economic, legal, environmental, political, religious, scientific or military issues. In the sociological sense, the ''status quo'' refers to the curren ...

Aba ABA may refer to: Aviation * AB Aerotransport, former Scandinavian airline * IATA airport code for Abakan International Airport in Republic of Khakassia, Russia Businesses and organizations Broadcasting * Alabama Broadcasters Association, Uni ...

(Abā;

: عبا) and Ammame ( ''`emãmah'') are clothes of Muslim clergy and some believe that this dress is the dress of the Prophet of Islam and should be respected.

History

Ammameparani occurred for the first time in contemporary history of Iran during the

Triumph of Tehran The Triumph of Tehran () refers to the entrance of the pro-constitutionalists in Tehran on 13 July 1909, which led Mohammad Ali Shah Qajar to seek refuge at the Russian legation in Tehran, before he was sent to exile.Constitutional Revolution, when Yusuf-Khan threw the turban of Sheikh

Fazlullah Nouri Sheikh Fazlollah bin Abbas Mazindarani (; 24 December 1843 – 31 July 1909), also known as Fazlollah Noori (), was a major figure in Iranian Constitutional Revolution (1905-1911) as a Twelver Shia Muslim scholar and politically connected mull ...

to protesting crowd.

Ruhollah Khomeini Ruhollah Musavi Khomeini (17 May 1900 or 24 September 19023 June 1989) was an Iranian revolutionary, politician, political theorist, and religious leader. He was the founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the main leader of the Iranian ...

, the founder of the

Islamic Republic of Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

, was the first person to demand the taking off of the turbans of mullahs in a speech against them. He delivered it while in exile in

Najaf Najaf is the capital city of the Najaf Governorate in central Iraq, about 160 km (99 mi) south of Baghdad. Its estimated population in 2024 is about 1.41 million people. It is widely considered amongst the holiest cities of Shia Islam an ...

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

and calling the Iranian clerics derogatorily "court mullahs" (mullahs who supported the Pahlavi) or "corrupt mullahs", he said: "Our youth should pick up the turbans of the mullahs who create corruption in the Muslim society in the name of Islamic jurists. There is no need to beat them too much but pick up their turbans."

Mahsa Amini protests

During Iranians' nationwide protests of 2022, knocking off turbans became a political campaign and as of 3 November 2022 it is expanding. People throw off the turbans of the clergy to declare that they are dissatisfied with the religious government and the leaders of the Islamic Republic.

Reactions

* Moqtada as-Sadr, an

cleric Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...

and one of the leaders of the Iraqi Shiites, criticized this action and expressed concern about its possible spread to other Muslim countries. * In response to "ammameparani", a parallel campaign called "ammamebusi" (

:عمامه‌بوسی; "turban kissing") was launched. Some people in Iran and Iraq kissed mullahs' turbans to show respect to the clergy and published the video of their act on social media.

Sources

{{Mahsa Amini protests Anti-Islam sentiment Mahsa Amini protests 2022–2023 Iranian protests

History

Mahsa Amini protests

Reactions

See also

Sources