Iranian dissident blasts AOC for headscarf stunt at rally with NYC mayor

U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wearing a hijab.

An Iranian dissident who has been the subject of numerous assassination attempts in recent years by Iran's hardline regime blasted U.S. Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for wearing a headscarf while she spoke at a rally this week with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

AOC, who in the past has touted her bonafides as a Roman Catholic, appeared at an Eid celebration alongside the city's first Muslim mayor at Macombs Dam Park in the Bronx. Video and photos from the event showed AOC wearing a hijab, a type of headscarf that is compulsory for women in some Muslim countries. While the stunt may have been meant to pander to Muslims, Iranian dissident Masih Alinejad, who has fought against the compulsory hijab for years, called out the congresswoman for wearing one, suggesting she was unaware of its symbolism. 

"Hello @AOC, while you smiled in a hijab at a New York event, I was in Federal Court facing the 4th hitman hired by the Islamic Republic to assassinate me, for campaigning for Iranian women to have the same freedom you performed for a photo op," said in a post on X.

She added that Iran's morality police often kill Iranian women for the crime of taking off a headscarf in public.

"You are the very woman who, at every opportunity, protests against violence against women, decries gender segregation, and champions "inclusion," Alinejad continued. "Yet here you stand, smiling and wearing a hijab, at an event in New York, in the heart of the West, where men and women are strictly separated. To me and millions of Iranian women, this does not look like a choice. It is no longer 'My body, my choice,' but rather 'My body for votes.'"

For her part, AOC posted on Instagram to say that she "had a lovely time" at the gathering, and that Mamdani "rolled up in this fit and had me cracking up." She included three photos of herself at the event, wearing a headscarf. One of the photos showed her and the mayor sharing a laugh over his outfit, which consisted of a kurta, a tunic commonly worn by men in South Asia, outfitted in the colors of Arsenal FC, the British soccer team, according to The New York Post.