As known by many people, hijab is head covering worn by Muslim women all around the world. However hijab in Iran has become a source of controversy in recent times and search by many people. In the 1920s, a few women started to appear in public without wearing the hijab. During the rule of Reza Shah, this practice was discouraged and eventually banned in 1936 for a period of five years.
When the history of hijab in Iran examined, it can be seen that under the succeeding ruler, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the hijab was seen as “outdated” and was rarely worn by those belonging to the upper and middle classes. As a result, it became a symbol of resistance to the shah’s regime during the 1970s, with women from educated, middle-class, and upper-class backgrounds choosing to wear it, whereas they would have previously been unveiled.
After the Revolution
Following the Iranian Revolution in 1979, which led to the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynasty, there was a shift in the encouragement of veiling. In 1981, a law was enacted that made it mandatory for women to cover their hair and wear loose-fitting clothing that covered most of their body except for the hands and face.
Since the tragic death of Mahsa Amini in 2022, the hijab in Iran has once again become a powerful political symbol, but this time it represents opposition to the Islamic Republic and defiance of the mandatory law. Younger women have been observed openly challenging the law in various towns and cities, and this resistance has been described as too widespread and deeply ingrained to be contained or easily reversed.
However, as of April 2023, the Islamic Republic has reaffirmed its commitment to enforce the hijab as a “divine decree,” indicating their determination to uphold the law regarding the wearing of the hijab.
In the years leading up to the Islamic Revolution of 1979, the hijab started to take on a political significance, particularly among educated middle-class women. It became a symbol of opposition to the Pahlavi regime’s modernization policies and their rule. Many working women from the middle class began adopting the hijab as a means of expressing their opposition.
It wasn’t just the simple hijab in Iran that gained popularity; the traditional Shi’i chador also became embraced by the middle-class opposition. It represented several things: a call for revolutionary change to address the plight of the poor, a protest against the objectification of women, a show of solidarity with conservative women who had always worn the chador, and a nationalist rejection of foreign influence.
Islamic Republic
Following the Islamic Revolution and the establishment of the Islamic Republic, there was a significant shift regarding the wearing of veils. Instead of banning veils, the new law made veiling mandatory, and this was implemented in stages. In the spring of 1979, shortly after the overthrow of the previous regime, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the leader of the revolution, declared that women should adhere to the Islamic dress code.
In July 1981, a decree was issued, making it mandatory for women and girls over the age of nine to cover their hair and conceal the shape of their bodies with long and loose robes when in public. This was followed by the introduction of the Islamic Punishment Law in 1983, which prescribed a punishment of 74 lashes for women who failed to cover their hair in public.
Since 1995, the penalties for unveiled women have also included imprisonment for up to 60 days. According to Book 5, article 638 of the Islamic Penal Code, women in Iran who do not wear a hijab may face imprisonment ranging from 10 days to two months, and/or fines ranging from 50,000 to 500,000 rials, with the amounts adjusted for inflation. The enforcement of this law was carried out by the Morality Police, initially the Islamic Revolution Committees, and later the Guidance Patrols, who patrolled the streets.
White Wednesday Protest
In May 2017, an online movement called My Stealthy Freedom, dedicated to promoting women’s freedom of choice in Iran, initiated the White Wednesday campaign. This movement encouraged both men and women to wear white veils, scarves, or bracelets as a way to express their opposition to the mandatory enforcement of veiling. As a result, Iranian women began sharing pictures and videos on social media platforms, showcasing themselves wearing white clothing items.
Masih Alinejad, an Iranian-born journalist and activist currently residing in the UK and the US, spearheaded this protest and described it on Facebook. Her goal was to raise awareness and empower individuals to challenge the compulsory veiling code imposed by the Iranian authorities.
Vida Mohaved Protest
On December 27, 2017, a courageous protester named Vida Movahed, also known as “The Girl of Enghelab Street,” was arrested during a White Wednesday demonstration. Her act of silently waving a white hijab headscarf on a stick while being unveiled for one hour on Enqelab Street in Tehran gained widespread attention on social media. The powerful video of her protest went viral, and the hashtag “#Where_Is_She?”.
Human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh announced on January 28, 2018, that Vida Movahed had been released. Inspired by her bravery, many individuals started re-enacting her act of removing their hijabs and waving them in the air, symbolizing their resistance to the compulsory veiling code.
However, on February 1, 2018, the Iranian police issued a statement announcing the arrest of 29 people, primarily women, for removing their headscarves. Among them was Shima Babaei, who was detained after removing her headdress in front of a court.
The situation escalated further on February 23, 2018, when the Iranian Police declared that any women protesting the compulsory veiling code would face charges of “inciting corruption and prostitution”.. This was significantly harsher than the usual punishment of two months imprisonment, up to 74 lashes, or a fine ranging from five hundred to fifty thousand rials for not wearing a hijab.
Following this announcement, numerous women reported experiencing physical abuse by the police after their arrests, and some were sentenced to multiple years in prison. Disturbing videos surfaced, showing an unveiled woman being tackled by a man in a police uniform while she stood on a tall box, waving her white scarf at passersby.