Roujan is an 11-year-old girl who is studying in fifth grade in Karaj. Before going to school, she had a happy and sweet life in a warm family environment with her parents, sister, and brother. She was free and full of energy in her childish imagination. But since she had to go to school and study, and for the first time, she was forced to wear a headscarf against her will, her life changed. Roujan cried and became restless that day, and her mother cried with her. There was no solution; Roujan had to wear a headscarf like thousands of other female students who were forced to do so, otherwise she couldn’t go to school or study. The laughter and kindness she had experienced at home were replaced by violence and sullenness at school, and Roujan no longer had her usual enthusiasm and energy. The cold and oppressive atmosphere of the school tormented her, and Roujan was always in distress because of it

Now, five years have passed since that day and Rojan still hasn’t accepted that veil and despises it. Rojan had once taken off her veil for a moment in school to catch her breath, but immediately faced harsh scolding and reprimands from the school deputy and quickly put it back on. In addition to all of this, Rojan didn’t like any of the lessons she read in her textbooks and was somewhat disgusted by everything she saw and heard in school. She now understood that she couldn’t go anywhere in this city or country without a veil, except for her home, and this cursed veil was like a bitter and terrifying nightmare that wouldn’t leave her alone. When she and her classmates were forced to wear a veil for the “Coming of Age” ceremony at the age of nine, Rojan cried again. Although she had no understanding of reaching the age of maturity that they had determined for her, and never understood the meaning and purpose of these actions; just as she

The day that the agents of the morality police heard about the killing of a girl named Mahsa Amini – who was only a few years older than herself – because a few strands of her hair were showing, her whole being trembled and she joined in with the chant of “women’s freedom” that rose from the hearts of millions of Iranian women and men, accompanied by their suppressed tears, and filled the sky of Iran; a movement that has no end and Rojhan has pinned her hopes on it.

The bitter story of hijab and its consequences.

Since two weeks after the victory of the Islamic Revolution until now, the compulsory hijab in Iran has been like a dark cloud casting a heavy shadow over the lives of the people of this land, especially women, and has led to the deprivation of their comfort, security, freedom, and even the loss of their dear lives. Compulsory hijab has challenged the overall identity of women and constantly plucks at their bodies and souls, depriving them of the most basic human and social rights. This issue, over the course of 44 years of the Islamic Republic’s rule, has inflicted tragedies upon the people of Iran, especially women, every day and every hour, to the point where it seems that there is hardly a family in Iran that has not been affected by this problem. As a result, the patience of the people has overflowed and the majority of society has become united in their opposition to this issue. In fact, the unlawful and dictatorial actions of various institutions in the Islamic

Just a few days after the death of Mahsa Amini, the fight against hijab by the hijab-wearing guardians resulted in the death of 16-year-old student, Armita Gharavand. Evidence shows that Armita was beaten by the hijab-wearing guardians stationed at the entrance of the Tehran metro when she was trying to board the train due to not wearing a hijab. She suffered a brain injury and passed away shortly after in the hospital.

The confrontation with unveiled women, which in previous years was carried out illegally by the authorities of the Islamic Revolution Committees and imposed on women, has continued for 44 years during the rule of the Islamic Republic and now, due to the widespread volume of unveiled women, has become even more complex; from claims of identifying the faces of unveiled women by surveillance cameras at metro stations in major cities, to the countless number of citizens across the country who are identified while driving by traffic control cameras and receive text messages related to hijab. Many of these citizens have their vehicles confiscated and left to collect dust in parking lots, while their owners are fined and suffer numerous damages and losses.

Recently, a bill called “The Family Support Bill through the Promotion of Chastity and Hijab Culture” has been under consideration in the parliament, and if passed, the government will implement it with great enthusiasm. There is no doubt that with the approval of this bill, the suffering of Iranian women will continue with even more intensity and severity, and the freedom and security of women will be more at risk than ever before. While this bill has faced numerous criticisms in the Guardian Council and has not yet been approved, the fight against so-called immodesty continues in various forms and with great intensity, even though it is still illegal.

At the end, it is worth mentioning that the issue of mandatory hijab in Iranian society, which the ruling government has used as a tool to achieve its own specific goals, is a bitter and painful tale that history will remember with ugliness.