This is a caption.
Goddess Amani

After nearly a decade, the fire that seemed to be buried in the ashes without any movement, once again flared up. After the last gathering of women on March 8th – February 17th, 2007 – women and men once again gathered in front of the Ministry of Labor to demand equality and express their demands for their citizenship rights in public spaces, and hold the government accountable for their actions.

The demand for freedom of dress is a demand that Iranian women raised over 150 years ago and have paid a price for. From Tahereh Qorrat al-Ayn, born in 1233, who was one of the first women to reject Islamic dress by her own will, to Taj al-Sultaneh, who appeared unveiled in public gatherings, to Parvin E’tesami, born in 1285, who criticized patriarchy in her poetry and saw the veil as a symbol of degradation and the relegation of Iranian women to a lower status, to my 97-year-old great aunt who was one of the first female nurses to wear a hat while working and never got married, to the women who took to the streets on the first 17th of Esfand after the revolution and challenged mandatory dress, to the brave young women who today individually protest against compulsory hijab in public spaces. This struggle for women’s human rights to choose their own dress has never

Parvin Etesami says in her poem “The Treasure of Women”:

“

Khosrow, your powerful hand made the task easy.

I’m sorry, I cannot provide a translation as no Farsi text was provided. Please provide the Farsi text for an accurate translation.

But in this difficult task, there was no hope for ease.

It was impossible to find the captain in this lost ship.

I’m sorry, there is no Farsi text provided. Please provide the text to be translated.

There was no shore found from this stormy sea…

The Hijab debate is a political discussion that is closely tied to the Islamic regime. In a broader context of today’s world, where we witness religious extremism in all religions, the definition and redefinition of women’s role in society, women’s human rights, women’s social participation, and women’s clothing are all topics that give identity and agency to conservative religious forces. Although in today’s world and in most Muslim countries, political Islam, fundamentalism, dogmatic and conservative ideologies place Islamic models against Western cultural models, fundamentalist Christianity and Judaism also stand alongside political Islam in defining and redefining women’s role in society.

It should be noted that the definition of “hijab” varies in different Muslim societies. In Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Tunisia, Turkey, and Iran, the concept of hijab is different because it takes on its own unique form within the cultural context of each society.

On the other hand, hijab and choice of clothing can also be viewed differently by those who adopt an Islamic identity. I asked Dr. Hottot, a physician who was the head of the Islamic Society of Los Angeles and passed away a few years ago, about hijab in a meeting. His daughter, who is also a lawyer in Los Angeles, responded to my question by saying, “Islamic belief is not reduced to just covering oneself.”

Mandatory and imposed dress code restricts women’s free will in choosing their attire and violates their right to choose their own clothing, which is one of the fundamental human rights.

Hijab and Islamic rights.

While in the Western world, many legal cases have been filed regarding mandatory dress codes for a specific type of attire in the workplace, and in most cases, these cases have been related to the desire of capitalists and business owners to increase profits in restaurants, bars, and clubs by enforcing a specific type of dress code. Women who have rebelled against formal and informal dress codes that are sexually appealing are subject to discrimination. In recent years, another case regarding the role of freedom in the workplace, which also went to the Supreme Court of America, was the dismissal of a young Muslim girl who had appeared in the workplace wearing a hijab and headscarf. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of this young girl.

Compulsory hijab is a clear violation of women’s human rights, freedom, and choice. Compulsory hijab should not only be reduced to forced clothing, as it is a symbol of a widespread and pervasive violation of women’s human rights. From young girls to elderly women, single, married, and non-Muslim women living in Iran, as well as Iranians and non-Iranians traveling to Iran, are faced with this compulsory hijab as the most widespread violation of women’s human rights. If other rights that have been violated in Iranian society (including family laws, gender engineering, challenges for women in the job market and public space, and dozens of other forms of discrimination that women experience) encompass parts of Iranian women’s society, compulsory and imposed hijab is a form of violation of women’s free and human choice, as it acts as a huge umbrella that discriminates against all women and girls in society based on their gender.

Special reporters of the United Nations have repeatedly pointed out that forced coverage of human rights is a violation of human rights. Discrimination based on gender or sex is a violation of the provisions of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).

Compulsory hijab is not only a clear symbol of violating women’s right to choose, but it also directly contradicts women’s rights to freedom of expression and thought, as stated in Articles 3 and 26 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

Article 3 states:

Member states of this pact commit to ensuring equality of rights between women and men in accessing all political and civil rights stated in this pact.

Article 26 states:

“All individuals are equal before the law and are entitled to equal protection against discrimination. Therefore, the law must prevent any form of discrimination and provide effective and equal protection for all individuals against any form of discrimination, at all stages, such as race, color, gender, language, religion, political beliefs, national or social origin, property, birth or any other status.”

Article 19 states:

”

1- Everyone has the right to express their opinions without interference or obstruction from others (and to preserve them).

2- Everyone has the right to freedom of expression. This right includes the freedom to seek knowledge, receive and impart information and any kind of beliefs, regardless of how it is presented (verbally or in writing), or printed and in artistic form or any other means they choose.

3- The rights provided in clause 2 of this article, which are accompanied by special duties and responsibilities, may be subject to certain limitations. These limitations must only be imposed based on the following necessities and through the means of the law:

A – For respecting the rights or dignity of others.

B – Preserving national security or maintaining public order and morality.

Women’s Movement and Compulsory Hijab.

One of the collective actions of women during the nearly 40 years of the establishment of the Islamic Republic was the One Million Signature Campaign. This campaign introduced a generation of women to the culture of women’s human rights and activism. Although its goal of collecting one million signatures and presenting them to the parliament to change laws was unattainable – as Iranian society is not equipped with democratic systems and structures – it led to the growth of women’s literature, cultural awareness, and familiarity with the rights they are deprived of. This issue was also very valuable, but the mandatory hijab and covering never gained a significant position in these efforts. Perhaps it was at the cost of high expenses that had to be paid, as there was a network of activists who were actively involved in this cause.

The reductionist view of the importance and key role of mandatory hijab was also present among many progressive and leftist forces in the early days of the Islamic Republic government’s movement towards mandatory hijab. The widespread protests of women were not supported by these forces and political groups, and instead, the fight against imperialism was given priority over the fight against mandatory hijab. I remember that in the seven legal rights that were mentioned by some activists during the Norooz campaign, the right to inheritance, blood money, testimony, custody, marriage, divorce, and citizenship were mentioned, but the right to choose one’s own clothing was not mentioned.

The characteristic movements of individuals that young women demonstrate today in pursuit of freedom in the realm of clothing, are very thought-provoking. Because these individual movements, which women resort to, also have significant costs, are a sign of women’s burnt hopes and beliefs in liberation that they will no longer expect any change in Iranian society from those in power and the Islamic Republic system.

On March 8, 2018, men and women marched together with slogans such as “Bread, Work, Freedom” and “Optional Dress Code”, committing themselves to supporting the demands of various groups of women, especially in the workplace. On the other hand, in Article 17, they highlighted the optional dress code as one of the widespread demands of women. From the 21 articles of women’s demands in the March 8th call, it is clear that these demands have expanded and grown in importance and are now a generation of men and women seeking equality, rejecting the backward thinking of policies that have been outdated and the empty promises that have not been fulfilled for nearly 40 years, and moving forward with strength and power.

“Women and men demand equality with an emphasis on citizenship rights. They challenge the duality of “woman at home” and “man outside”, break the red lines between public and private spaces, and call for women’s social and economic participation and the elimination of discrimination that women experience in current Iranian society.”

In the statement “A group of women’s rights activists on the occasion of March 8 – We will not stay at home,” dated 14 Esfand 1396, it is stated: “Let’s talk about being excluded and marginalized in public spaces, or about the basic right to choose our own clothing? Let’s talk about discriminatory laws, or about the official culture that praises motherhood and reduces women to childbearing and child-rearing machines? Let’s talk about the job market where women have no place, or about the political system that has no place for women and women’s issues? From Esfand 57 to Esfand 96, we have expressed one of these criticisms each time and followed through with these demands.”

This statement and call for March 8th and what has been reflected on social media and in written form, is a testament to a new uprising that is taking place in the demands and actions of women, both publicly and individually, and is hopeful. The statement concludes with an admirable courage, stating: “We must be able to at least consider this one day of the year as our own and come to the streets, and return to our homes without breaking our bones.”

Women, especially young women, are at the forefront of building a new society in Iran. The generation that has been raised within Iranian society no longer has the tolerance for the discrimination it experiences. The laws in Iran, such as the restrictive and suffocating dress code, are like a straitjacket for the spirit of Iranian women. May the will, determination, courage, and boldness of those who seek equality bring the promise of a free and democratic society – where the rights of all humans are respected.