Hijab and nothing else
Simultaneously with Ibrahim Raisi’s emphasis on the necessity of implementing the hijab law in Iran, despite recent months of opposition, a member of parliament also called for the establishment of a Ministry of Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice.
Hossein Ali Hajigholigani said in an interview with Entekhab website that I believe we should establish the eighth principle of the constitution, which is about promoting virtue and preventing vice, in the form of a completely independent and comprehensive organization.
He added that we should have established the Ministry of Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice since the beginning of the revolution, and today this necessity still exists. This representative stated multiple times during his statements that the best decision at the moment is to establish that ministry.
Hajigholigani claimed that the majority of society consists of faithful and Muslim people, and our society and religion do not accept this type of compulsory hijab. He referred to the enforcement of mandatory hijab on Iranian citizens as a cultural, social, and educational issue, and added that in a plan being prepared by the Cultural Commission of the Parliament for this purpose, perhaps only five percent of the police force will be involved.
Following the death of Mahsa Amini, who was arrested by the Guidance Patrol in Tehran, and the start of nationwide protests against the mandatory hijab, ordinary citizens and some well-known figures openly opposed compulsory hijab in Iran.
Return to initial settings
After months of suppressing protests and continued strong opposition by women to the mandatory hijab, the authorities of the Islamic Republic first announced the closure of the Guidance Patrol, but cases of dealing with citizens for enforcing the mandatory hijab continued.
The increase in patrols by the Guidance Patrol in religious cities such as Qom and Mashhad resulted in the presence of female enforcers of virtue in metros and women’s train carriages, as well as the closure of public places such as amusement parks and shopping malls due to the discovery of unveiled women. Government employees who disregarded the hijab and heavy penalties were issued for women involved in promoting unveiledness.
Ali Khanomahmadi, the spokesperson for the Command Center for Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, had previously stated without providing details that the mission of the moral security patrols had been completed and that it is expected to be presented in a more modern framework.
Approximately two months after these statements, Ibrahim Raisi also expressed his support for compulsory hijab in Iran during a television interview on Monday, February 1. He stated that hijab is a religious necessity and that women and girls in our country adhere to it. Without mentioning the violence that is used to enforce hijab in Iran, he introduced social, rather than political and security, solutions to uphold this matter.
He emphasized, echoing Ali Khamenei’s claim, that those who weaken hijab are the ones who are speaking in the mouths of enemies and adversaries of the Islamic Revolution. According to the decision of the Supreme Council of Cultural Revolution since 2005, the Ministry of Interior is obligated to enforce the hijab law.
It seems that the authorities of the Islamic Republic, despite widespread protests, have no intention of addressing the issue of hijab and paying attention to the demands of the citizens. They are attempting to continue their strict stance on this issue and other aspects of people’s private lives.
Another headquarters
Kobra Khazali, the head of the Women and Family Cultural and Social Council and a member of the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution, stated during the ceremony of the 38th anniversary of the establishment of this council, titled ‘The Second Step of the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution in the Path of Transformation’, held at Vahdat Hall, that today we are in the second step and cultural movement of the Islamic Revolution, which is based on Islamic culture with the perspective of the religious revolution.
She emphasized that the revolutionary people of the Islamic Republic of Iran always emphasize the precise and firm implementation of the laws related to hijab and modesty. She said that the laws of modesty and hijab, which have been approved in the Islamic Consultative Assembly or the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution, will soon be implemented strongly in the country.
She stated that the issue of hijab and modesty in the country requires the establishment of a strong foundation and presented her suggestions regarding cultural changes and transformations. She mentioned that theorizing and producing knowledge based on divine perspectives of Islamic rationality against secular rationality, engineering cultural changes based on transformation towards the emergence of a change in lifestyle through family reforms, transforming threats into opportunities through solidarity among like-minded countries, and reducing dependence on global organizations such as the World Bank are among the solutions for achieving cultural transformations.
It seems that neither society nor the government have a decision based on backing down from their positions on compulsory hijab, and we may likely witness serious and field discussions between opponents of compulsory hijab and the Cultural Heritage Organization in the coming months and the beginning of spring.
The Future of Hijab
The Future Scenarios of Hijab in Iran was the title of a project that was initiated in the second half of 1400 at the Mehrastan Family Institute. In this project, after reviewing the literature on the subject, reviewing the background and statistics of the prevailing discourses, the main causes and drivers of the phenomenon of unveiledness were analyzed using the Cause Layered Analysis (CLA) method. In order to identify the main drivers and scenario development, additional actions were needed. However, due to the rapid changes that have occurred, it seems that if the government does not make a decision that is in line with the reality and the desires of the majority of society, the issue of compulsory hijab still has the potential to create serious debates.
In this regard, exclusive articles have been published on Iran Gate.
- پایان ماه عسل حجاب انتخابی ؟
- بی حجابی در بانک نه، در شادی تیم ملی آری!
- حجاب ، خط قرمزی که کم رنگ میشود
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