He says, “We must demand from the rulers, even if we face imprisonment or get beaten up.” The subject of discussion is related to the “Chastity and Veil” bill, which has been published after some changes by the judiciary commission of the parliament and is on the agenda of the parliament to go through the process of approval.

Regarding this bill and the issue of mandatory hijab in Iran, we turned to “Maryam Khavazi”, one of the successful and active Iranian women entrepreneurs. Mrs. Khavazi, who has a background in chairing the Women Entrepreneurs Board and managing the administrative affairs of the Beautification Organization of Tehran Municipality, told Khat-e-Solh magazine that she has also been targeted by hijab-related text messages. This female entrepreneur, before addressing the questions, frankly stated to Khat-e-Solh: “I believe that hijab should be optional in our country. The issue of hijab in Iran has had many ups and downs and both sides have paid a heavy price for it; although the younger generation has paid a higher price. We in Iran face many challenges such as economic and social challenges, and instead of discussing the issue of hijab, it is better to focus on more serious challenges in the country. I believe that we should not waste the time

You can read the explanation of the interview with Maryam Khavazi in the following.

Do you think why such a bill has been proposed in this period?

Today, the fate of the country is in the hands of individuals whose prejudices do not allow them to make the right decisions. God has created all of his servants free and with free will. These gentlemen and officials are not in the place of God. I want to make mistakes and learn from my mistakes. I want to be unveiled and then go out and choose the veil, like the European lady who shows that she chooses the veil. I want at least the right to choose and the freedom to choose the veil to be given so that as a citizen, I can make that choice freely; not that they try to solve the issue with force, coercion, laws, and punishments. Nothing good comes from this force and coercion, and we have seen the result of it in these forty years.

I was born in the 1940s. I was also present during the revolution and played a role in it. We were told to wear headscarves. We would go to school and wear our headscarves, and when we left school, we would take them off. Later, hijab became mandatory in the streets as well. We accepted it. More than forty years have passed since those times, and today, at the age of sixty, I believe that on that day, others made the decisions and we obeyed and carried them out, but the point is that we cannot treat the current generation the same way. In these same events, young people from both sides were killed, and it doesn’t matter what religion, belief, or opinion the person had. The killed from both sides – whether law enforcement or people – are both human. I myself cannot understand why we should focus on this issue instead of more important matters.

How compatible do you think this bill and its discussions are with the discussions raised in the constitution and discussions related to citizenship rights?

As far as I know, it is not compatible. In the beginning, when we wanted to have a meeting with the bank manager, they would give us a tent before the meeting and we were only allowed to attend the meeting if we wore that tent. After ten years, they said, “Okay, now you can attend such meetings with a coat, pants, and a mask.” I want to say that this method has not worked for the past forty years, and because it has not worked, they have also changed the standards. According to the constitution, I don’t think they can have so much pressure and coercion.

Do you think this draft and its discussions, given the current social atmosphere in Iran that you are witnessing, are executable?

“You can see the results of such behaviors in society right now. I used to see more people wearing hijab on the streets. But now, the number of people wearing hijab has decreased significantly. Of course, they have now implemented penalties such as sending text messages to confiscate cars, which has also happened to me. A few days ago, we went to the electronic, computer, and e-commerce exhibition, known as Elecomp, to raise money and release those who have committed unintentional crimes. Our group also contributed some money. While we were doing this, one of my friends reminded me to wear my hijab properly. I told them that I had been reminded before that because Mr. Ghalibaf is coming, we should observe our hijab. I also said that I will not wear my hijab because of Mr. Ghalibaf. But if you, as a colleague and someone who may face problems in this group, tell me to wear my hijab,

I want to say that this situation creates fear and terror, especially for those of us who are afraid of facing difficulties in our economic activities and work. The fear of having to go to the judiciary and courts despite all these economic problems and spending time there. This difficult situation has created difficulties for us. On the one hand, we want to stand up for the rights that society should have, and on the other hand, these conditions and pressures do not allow us to do so.

It means that as the pressures increase, people are forced to comply in order to not lose their jobs and have their work permits revoked, otherwise they will be excluded from life. They say that I, for example, who have worn a headscarf for forty years, will also force others to wear it. But clearly, this is coercion.

We have previously had a history of laws related to satellites and have seen their fate. Do you think it is possible for the fate of these laws to end up like the fate of laws related to satellites?

This is dependent on the performance of women in society and cannot be definitively predicted. The issue is that women must unite and stand by their positions. Either we must stand in places where we are not harmed, or we must accept that harm with open arms and pay the price. Of course, it cannot be expected that all sectors of society will accept being harmed with open arms. The issue is that this is our body, our hair, and our skin, and we want to have control over our body and hair. We want fair conditions to be provided for us. These are also attainable. If women in society can endure these conditions and men also support them, it can be done. Just as some men have come out wearing shorts and I have heard that they have been fined for it.

Yes; in this bill, the exposure of men’s legs is also considered a form of indecency and a penalty has been set for it.

Yes. I don’t know why we don’t have a problem seeing these things, but these friends have a problem seeing men’s legs and women’s hair. My son tells me that your hair is no different to me than that lady’s hair on the street. I don’t understand why that hair should be an issue. I also told him, my dear mother, I don’t understand either!

You have shared your experiences with dealing with this issue. How do you feel as an active social activist and entrepreneur who is trying to make a difference in society, about this bill and the discussions surrounding it? Does it hinder you in any way?

Definitely, it prevents cutting. We are talking right now so that we can, if possible, make a demand about this bill, write a letter, or make a statement. I said this issue requires collective action. But it is possible that one association says no and another says yes. This is something we must ask of the authorities, even if we face closure or get hit by a flood. On the other hand, we cannot blame those who are forcing us into this. These issues are interconnected. For example, a woman wants to work voluntarily somewhere because of her social concerns. When she sees that her work and social and economic life are being marginalized and harassed, she gives up her positions. Fortunately, many, especially young people, have stood by their positions. In my opinion, it needs support.

Does this mean that you believe the solution for society against these decisions is what can be called civil resistance?

Yes. This must happen. Among the officials, there must also be those who have the power of analysis and understand that after forty-four years, we must accept what the people want and say in unison. I have seen optional hijab in the cities. That means that women all over Iran have reacted to this issue. We are also hopeful and hopeful that this will happen and our women’s activism will increase and they will not be subject to obedience to their peers and acceptance of coercion.

Thank you for the time you have given us in the monthly magazine of the Peace Line.