The “Hijab and Purity Law” in Iran proposes strict penalties for girls and women who do not completely cover their hair, arms or lower legs, including fines and up to 15 years in prison.
However, Iran’s National Security Council has put the brakes on this old and controversial law after it came into effect last Friday.
This comes after the law received backlash across the world and domestically. President Massoud Pezeshkian said the law “is vague and needs reform”, while human rights organization Amnesty International said Iranian authorities were “trying to strengthen an already crippling system of repression.”
Pezeshkian expressed her disapproval of the country’s mistreatment of women over the hijab during her presidential campaign earlier this year.
She said, “Just as they could not forcibly remove the hijab from women’s heads in the past, they cannot impose it on them now. We have no right to impose our will on our women and daughters.”
Her promise of personal freedom resonated with young girls and women who were already frustrated by government-imposed restrictions.
The law was also criticized by former Vice President for Women and Family Affairs Masoumeh Ebtekar, who called it “an indictment of half the Iranian population”.
The discussion on hijab has always been there, but it gained more momentum when a woman, Parastu Ahmadi, was arrested after she sang on YouTube with four people without hijab, in a sleeveless dress, with her hair open. Posted a video of mine. Male musician.
The caption reads, “I am Parastu, a girl who wants to sing for the people I love. It’s a right I can’t ignore; singing for the land I belong to with all my heart I love.”
After the video went viral, he was arrested along with his band members, but was released a day later following the arrest’s widespread reaction.
The hijab controversy has been ongoing since 2022, triggered by the death of Mahsa “Zhina” Amini, who died in police custody after violating the dress code. Following his death, women have challenged the government and defied hijab rules. Despite sanctions and pressure from groups close to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, young people in Iran appear fearless and defy such laws.
According to the BBC, last week, more than 300 Iranian rights activists, writers and journalists publicly condemned the new hijab law, calling it “illegitimate and unenforceable” and urging Pezeshkian to honor her campaign promises.
Still, the decision to halt implementation of the law shows that the government is fearful of the protests seen two years ago.
