Iran’s government strikes back as more women choose not to wear the headscarf

 

Iranian capital's billboards urge women to wear the required headscarves out of respect for their moms. However, many women—young and old—choose not to, maybe for the first time since the turbulent days after Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Such overt resistance follows months of protests in response to the death in detention in September of Mahsa Amini, 22, for wearing her headscarf too loosely. The decision by some women to wear their hair uncovered in public offers a new threat to the country's theocracy even though the protests seem to have subsided. The women's resistance also exposes rifts in Iran that had been hidden for many years.

Authorities have threatened legal action and shut down certain establishments that cater to women who do not wear the hijab. Verbal warnings are given by police and volunteers in airports, subways, and other public areas. Drivers that had ladies in their vehicles without head covering have received texts as a target.

Iranian scholars caution that if the government presses too hard, it may rekindle dissent. The Islamic Republic is now dealing with economic problems brought on by its conflict with the West over its quickly developing nuclear programme, thus the demonstrations came to light at a bad moment for the country.

Some ladies said that they had had enough, regardless of the consequences. They contend that they are fighting to ensure their daughters' futures and more freedom in Iran.

Some said that the increasing number of women entering their ranks may make it more difficult for the government to resist.

Shervin, a 23-year-old student whose short, jagged hair waved in the wind on a recent Tehran day, said, "Do they want to shut down all businesses?" "Will they also close the police station if I go there?"

Even yet, they are concerned about risk. The ladies who were questioned only gave their first names out of concern for the consequences.

The decision of Vida, 29, and two of her friends to stop wearing headscarves in public is about more than just headscarves, she claimed.

This is a warning to the government, she continued, "Leave us alone."

The only places where wearing the hijab is still required for women are Iran and Afghanistan, which is next door and still under Taliban authority. Before protests erupted in September, it was rare to see women without headscarves, though some occasionally let their hijab fall to their shoulders. In some parts of Tehran nowadays, it is common to see women without headscarves.