Which is implemented , the political Hijab or the religious Hijab?
WANA (Mar 09) – A few months have passed since the recent riots in Iran, and now it is possible to have a better analysis and a clearer picture of the situation.
In the first days of the street riots, the concern about the law to abolish the mandatory hijab was more prominent than the economic concerns. This atmosphere changed in the following days and months, and the rioters were moving directly towards overthrowing the established government. However, the ordinary people participating in the street protests stated that their main concern was their livelihood.
Those who wanted to overthrow the government would ride any protest wave with any approach. If the rallying people’s anti-regime slogans were about the economy, the opposition would exploit it to their advantage. If the reason for the protests were sexual freedom, anti Islamic dress code, and gender equality, the rivals would still support this kind of protest. Opponents of the government in Iran would have accompanied even the light objection of the religious movement against the current government if they knew that it would help overthrow the administration in Iran.
A man views a newspaper with a cover picture of Mahsa Amini, a woman who died after being arrested by the Islamic republic’s “morality police” in Tehran, Iran September 18, 2022. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency)
What was crucial for the opposition groups was to bring the people to the streets in any possible way to pave the way for their entry into power. The reality of the field was that these groups practically did not have any political or religious discipline. We can say daringly that all the leaders of the rioters inside Iran and outside Iran were secular and had no faith in people’s religious beliefs.
A significant part of the opponents of the Islamic Republic of Iran believes that the Islamic hijab is one of the foundations of this government, and until this religious principle is abolished or weakened, it is not possible to infiltrate and overthrow that government.
A picture of a girl who takes off a scarf as a sign of protest against the mandatory hijab. Social Media / WANA News Agency
It can be a correct perception that the West took the entire Arab world under its rule when they were up to cripple religious beliefs and the Islamic hijab as one of the pillars of religion in those societies.
Can the policy of removing or weakening the Islamic hijab happen in Iranian society? The correct answer is that this has happened largely, and a significant part of the Iranian women’s society does not fully observe the Islamic hijab like before. A substantial number of Iranian women are even looking for the complete removal of the mandatory hijab law.
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For the first time after forty-three years after the Iranian revolution, Iranian women are walking in the streets of Iranian cities without observing the Islamic veil. There are no more “moral police” and Islamic reminders.
Does the current state of the hijab in Iran mean that the rulers of the country have become careless about observing the Shia Sharia law? Are they going to leave things as they are?
Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei, Head of Iran’s Judiciary. Social Media / WANA News Agency
The head of Iran’s Judiciary, Mohseni Ejei, reacted to the unveiling and said, “The unveiling (improper hijab) is like being an enemy of the system and its values, and people who commit this anomaly will be penalized.” Ejei emphasized that the taking off the Hijab is a breach of public modesty and the principles of Sharia law, and the enemy supports it.
After the recent events and taking off the scarves in the streets of Iran, we can say that this was the first and forceful reaction to the issue of the hijab in Iran. These statements show that the government has yet tolerated the issue of revealing the hijab in the streets and plans to deal with the unveiling legally in the future.
“All the authorities are trying to use all the possibilities with the support of the judiciary and the executive to deal with the people who want to be with the enemy and commit this crime that harms public order and modesty.” The head of Iran’s Judiciary in Isfahan city said this explicit statement recently.
Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi speaks during a news conference in Tehran, Iran August 29, 2022. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency)
On March 9, 2023, the President of Iran, Ayatollah Raisi, plainly declared that “the hijab issue is a Sharia necessity and a legal requirement accepted by members of the Iranian society” This emphasis means that the government has no plans to retreat from its principles. Values Iranian believes they paid many costs to get, and now they do not want to lose in this game to the West as the prime actor behind the scenes of these events.
“In an issue like hijab, it is necessary for everyone to feel responsible, and although some people may have different opinions in this field, in social life, adherence to legal standards should be considered as a principle.” Ayatollah Raisi said.
Women walk after the morality police shut down in a street in Tehran, Iran December 6, 2022. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency)
From all the statements of the Iranian officials these days, it seems that the government may have retreated tactically for a few months on the hijab issue, but they are not going to give the field to the supporters of the western type of hijab at all.
The reality of Iranian streets these days shows that the number of women without veils has not increased compared to the previous weeks but also decreased to some extent. Could this be a sign of failure for the opponents of the Islamic hijab in Iran? We still need more time to judge.
We have to wait and see how this religious principle will be welcomed by Iranian women in the summer and until then, what measures the government will put on to implement Sharia law.
Iranian women walk in a street in Tehran, Iran October 3, 2022. WANA (West Asia News Agency)
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