Selena Gomez supports Iranian girls detained for dancing without hijabs
Selena just hit 400-million followers on Instagram and she's using her platform to shine the spotlight on a good cause.
Selena Gomez is officially the first woman to reach 400-million followers on Instagram.
One of the first things the 30-year-old did after achieving the feat was to draw attention to an incident in Iran involving five teenage girls.
The teens were recently detained by Iran's morality police for dancing in public without wearing their hijabs (headscarves).
They shared a video of themselves dancing to Rema's hit song, 'Calm Down', to celebrate International Women's Day on March 8. Selena features on the track's remix.
According to Global Citizen, teenagers recorded the dance and shared it on TikTok "in a show of defiance against the Iranian regime, which declares both of these actions illegal".
Officials reportedly traced the girls to Ekbatan Town, west of Tehran.
"Days later, authorities had tracked down the girls, detained them and forced them to return to the same spot where the video was recorded to issue an apology with their heads covered – which was also recorded," Global Citizen wrote on Instagram.
ALSO READ: Iranian greeted as hero after competing without hijab
The girls were described as "brave". Selena took to her Instagram Story to share Global Citizen's post highlighting the incident.
"To these young women and all the women of Iran who continue to be courageous demanding fundamental changes. Please know your strength is inspiring," she wrote.
Selena's fans praised her for spotlighting an important cause.
"Thank you for posting about this Selena. These girls don’t deserve this! FREE THEM NOW," one user wrote.
Another user added: "We're here from Selena's story...it's great you're posting about it and raising awareness...kudos to these girls for bravely standing on their points and motives...women should be allowed to live freely how they want."
ALSO READ: Germany, UN call for Iran school poisonings investigation
“Please know your strength is inspiring.”
— Selena Gomez Source (@GomezSource) March 17, 2023
— Selena Gomez to the women in Iran pic.twitter.com/25BeXBJDbu
Rema has also responded to the girls' video.
"To all the beautiful women who are fighting for a better world, I’m inspired by you, I sing for you and I dream with you," he tweeted.
To all the beautiful women who are fighting for a better world, I’m inspired by you, I sing for you and I dream with you. ✊🏿🤍🇮🇷 https://t.co/sOCQjZnlpB
— REMA (@heisrema) March 14, 2023
ALSO READ: Selena Gomez shares more details about her upcoming album
Main image credit: Instagram/@selenagomez