Selena Gomez took to Instagram recently to praise a group of five young women in Tehran, Iran, who were detained by authorities after dancing in public and for not wearing a hijab, which is illegal in the Middle Eastern country.
In a show of defiance against Iran’s authoritarian regime, the young women danced to the 2022 song “Calm Down” by Nigerian singer Rema and Selena Gomez for International Women’s Day. The video went viral on social media and the girls were ultimately taken into custody for 48 hours and forced to make an apology video with their heads covered.
According to Selena Gomez Source, Gomez went to her Instagram stories and described the young women as “courageous” and said her heart was with “these young women and all the women of Iran who continue to be courageous demanding fundamental changes.”
Gomez added: “Please know your strength is inspiring.”
The young women inspired others in Iran to stand with them in solidarity and release their own defiant dance videos under the hashtag “ekbatangirls.” Women have been protesting the Iranian law concerning the hijab, even more so since Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman who was arrested late last year for allegedly not wearing the headscarf, suspiciously died in police custody. After Amini’s death, there were mass protests in the streets, which saw Iranian women burning their hijabs.
Rema also shared his feelings about the five young women who used his song to speak out against oppression. “To all the beautiful women who are fighting for a better world, I’m inspired by you,” he said. “I sing for you, and I dream with you.”