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Mohammad Mohabbai

Recently, a research on society’s perspective towards “mandatory hijab” by the institution “Islamic Consultative Assembly Research Center” has been published under the title “Factors influencing the implementation of hijab policies and future solutions”, which has sparked many discussions in political and media circles. The results of this research have been sent to high-ranking officials of the system and will surely be interesting and shocking for them. It is surprising that a society that has been under the most fundamentalist religious teachings for the past 40 years and whose citizens have been exposed to religious rituals since birth and from the first grade of school, are now committing the biggest act of disobedience against mandatory hijab.

In this study, the difference between two concepts of “religious hijab” (covering the entire body except for the face and hands from the wrists down, as stated in religious texts) and “cultural hijab” (a type of covering that has developed in society) has been examined. Cultural hijab is referred to as “improper religious hijab” and it is estimated that 60 to 70 percent of women in society are considered improperly veiled according to the religious definition, of which 10 to 15 percent are considered to be in a severe state of improper veiling or, in other words, breaking social norms. This report states that only 13 percent of women wear traditional religious hijab, while 70 percent fall into a gray area (no definition has been provided for this category). The study also states that “in terms of the value of hijab, its value has been decreasing. This decrease is significant and tangible, and according to some existing research,

These types of research have a background in the Islamic Republic. Twice, in the years 1385 and 1393, research was conducted on the views of the Iranian people regarding marriage. These two studies, conducted by the Iranian Student Opinion Center, referred to previous studies on the attitudes of society towards women’s hijab over the past few decades and interesting results were obtained. (1) The findings of this research show that in 1353 (four years before the Islamic Revolution, when the peak of modernization in the Pahlavi era and complete freedom of hijab were recognized by the legal system of the country), three-fourths of the male population, or 75%, preferred to have a veiled spouse and 7% also had a desire to have an unveiled spouse. However, in 1385, at least 25% of the male population had no apparent preference for a veiled spouse and had no problem with having an unveiled spouse. It was also stated in this

After the February 1979 revolution, in the early days, there were whispers of the compulsory hijab being enforced. A prominent example of this was the removal of unveiled women from television and the expulsion of those who did not comply with this compulsory hijab. The interim government of Mehdi Bazargan had no inclination to implement the compulsory hijab. Until the day of 16 Esfand (March 7), when Mr. Khomeini, in a speech to the students of Qom, criticized the Bazargan government and declared: “I have heard that the ministries are the same as they were during the time of the tyrant… The current ministries are un-Islamic… In Islamic ministries, women should not come without hijab… Women can go out, but they must have the proper hijab. They can work, but with the proper Islamic hijab.”

The spread of Mr. Khomeini’s words led to various reactions, both from supporters and opponents of mandatory hijab. The tone of these statements and the severity of the treatment towards women created a sensitivity that on 17th of Esfand month, Eshraqi, Mr. Khomeini’s son-in-law, spoke about hijab in such a way during an interview:

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Question: Today, following the message of the Imam that stated that from tomorrow on, women must be present in government offices with Islamic hijab, unfortunately, some extremists have demanded that unveiled women and religious minorities must also wear a chador from tomorrow on, otherwise they will face severe consequences. Please let us know if the Imam’s opinion was this extreme or if he had a different opinion altogether?

Question: The question is, today, following the message of the Imam that stated that from tomorrow on, women must be present in government offices with Islamic hijab, unfortunately, some extremists have demanded that unveiled women and religious minorities must also wear a chador from tomorrow on, otherwise they will face severe consequences. Please clarify if the Imam’s stance was this extreme or if he had a different opinion altogether?

Answer: I hope this is not true that people will only refrain from evil through force. But what the Imam wants is this: the Islamic hijab must be promoted. Of course, at the level of some ministries, offices, even universities and schools, it should be justified that women should observe the Islamic hijab and the meaning of hijab is not just a chador… It would be better if people try their best to follow Islamic standards and advise, encourage, and remind women to observe the Islamic hijab. On the other hand, women themselves must implement this Islamic decree… God willing, the Islamic hijab will be implemented throughout the country and this is the dignity and honor of women. Regarding religious minorities, it is also better if they observe the Islamic hijab, as it is not known whether a woman is Muslim or non-Muslim. Therefore, Imam Khomeini’s desire is for the Islamic hijab to be observed in the country… (3)

These changes coincided with the 17th of Esfand (March 8th, International Women’s Day). Many women protested against these statements. Until Ayatollah Taleghani gave a speech to soften the atmosphere, which some mistakenly interpreted as “Taleghani’s opposition to compulsory hijab.” Even today, many people make this mistake in the narrative of the revolution. The reason for this mistake is the headline of Ettelaat newspaper on 20th of Esfand 1357. The headline read: “No Compulsory Hijab Involved.” However, referring to Taleghani’s speech in the same issue of Ettelaat shows that the headline did not accurately reflect his words. Ayatollah Taleghani said in the interview:

“Hijab, in its general sense, is not specific to the chador and a particular style. It means preserving the chastity, dignity, and personality of women, which has always been present in Iran and other Islamic and non-Islamic countries in the East. Hijab is not something created by me or a jurist, it is a clear commandment in the Quran. The verse of hijab is meant to give women a sense of identity, their human and national identity in our countries. If we want to blindly imitate others, then let’s be good at it. But if we want to return to ourselves, to our own culture, and to have our own power and independence, then we must revive our own traditions. Is this an obstacle for women to have administrative jobs? No, is it an obstacle for them to have cultural jobs? No, as long as it is in the path of service, we, Islam, the Quran, and religious authorities want to preserve

We see that these words of Ayatollah Taleghani were actually an explanation and refinement of the words of Ayatollah Khomeini, not presenting a new and different opinion!

The first institution where the mandatory hijab plan was implemented during the early months of the revolution was the military-affiliated offices for female army employees. The executor of this plan was none other than the current president, Hassan Rouhani. In his memoir, he writes: “The responsibility of implementing the mandatory hijab plan in the military-related offices was entrusted to me. In the first step, I gathered all the female employees stationed at the Joint Staff Headquarters, which were about thirty people, and after talking to them, we agreed that from the next day onwards, they should come to work wearing a headscarf. The female employees, except for two or three who were not wearing hijab, started to protest and make a commotion, but I stood firm and said that from tomorrow morning, the guard at the entrance gate is responsible for preventing unveiled women from entering the Joint Staff Headquarters. After the military headquarters, it was the turn of the three armed forces. I first went to the D

It seems that the mandatory hijab in Iranian society was a gradual process. Even in government offices, it was not uniformly enforced and was based on personal preference. It is even said that in the Supreme Court of the country (which was headed by Mohammad Beheshti until 1360), employees without hijab were not expelled and were not forced to wear it. However, eventually over the course of 4 to 5 years, all women in the Iranian administrative system were required to wear hijab and those who did not comply were expelled.

Since the first Islamic Penal Code (passed in 1361), “unveiling of women without religious hijab” has been considered a crime and a punishment has been determined for it. In the current version of the Penal Code, the punishment for unveiling is specified in the footnote of Article 638 of the Islamic Penal Code, Book of Penalties (passed in 1375), with a sentence of 10 days to 2 months imprisonment or a fine of 50,000 to 500,000 rials.

Overall, it must be said that the principle of “freedom of dress” has been recognized as a natural and non-negotiable right in today’s world. Therefore, researching and studying it is essentially meaningless and irrelevant. When a society is asked whether they agree or disagree with freedom of dress and hijab, it is like asking them if they agree or disagree with freedom of breathing, eating, thinking, walking, smiling, etc. It is clear that the question is wrong. Freedom of dress is a part of the natural rights of humans, and no government has the right to take this freedom away from any individual, even if 99.99% of the population agrees with the government.

Notes:

1. “The reaction of a research center to the discovery of the veil in the streets of Tehran”, Khabaronline, February 3rd, 2018.

2. The newspaper Ettelaat, February 7th, 1979.

3. Newspaper Ettelaat, February 8th, 1979

4. Information Newspaper, 20 Esfand 1357

5. “Rouhani, Hassan, Memories of Dr. Hassan Rouhani (1357-1341), Center for the Documentation of the Islamic Revolution, Volume 1: 1388, p. 375”