‘No To Hijab’: Iranian Women Remove Veil To Protest Dress Code, Officials Warn Them Of Action

Women’s rights and political activists in Iran had called for civil disobedience on July 12, which the country celebrates as the ‘National Day of Hijab and Chastity’.

Iranian women are joining a massive anti-hijab campaign across Iran ( Image Source :Twitter | @AlinejadMasih )

Women across Iran participated in an anti-hijab campaign on Tuesday, July 12, which the country celebrates as the ‘National Day of Hijab and Chastity’. They posted videos of themselves publicly removing their veils, defying the strict hijab rules imposed by the Islamic Republic, Iran’s state news agency Iran International reported.

According to the report, women’s rights and political activists in Iran had called for civil disobedience, starting a hashtag ‘No2Hijab’ campaign in response to the government’s announcement to hold ‘hijab rallies’ at different venues Tuesday “to honor, celebrate, and promote” the Islamic view of the hijab for women.

Iranian women are joining a massive anti-hijab campaign across Iran, shooting videos of themselves defying the Islamic Republic’s #hijab rules in public places.#No2Hijab #WalkingUnveiled pic.twitter.com/06ZP7WgwFj

— Iran International English (@IranIntl_En) July 12, 2022

The protest appeared to be limited to social media only, with posts showing many women in public without wearing a headscarf. These women were mostly dressed in white, which goes against the dark colours enforced by the government, the Iran International report noted.

They could be seen dressed in clothes such as jeans and T-shirts, which are forbidden in the Islamic Republic.

The report said the protest campaign came in the wake of many women getting detained by special police patrols over the past few weeks, with the government increasing “harassment of women for their insufficient hijab”.

How The Govt Has Reacted

Government and military officials have, meanwhile, warned everyone about disobeying the hijab rules. Quoting Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi, Iran International said in a separate report that the government has said its “fearsome Special Unit” would deal with those breaking rules and “cooperating with the enemy”.

While no action was taken on Tuesday, the official warnings came late that day and on Wednesday.

“Hijab is our first line of defense. If it falls, all other bulwarks will fall,” the army’s ideological-political commissar was quoted as saying.

According to the report, the representative of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in the religious city of Qom has sought decisive action against those opposing the hijab.  

Abolfazl Shekarchi, the spokesman of Iran’s armed forces, which comprise both the traditional army and the Revolutionary Guard, reportedly called the opponents of hijab rules “Satan’s troops”. 

In fact, speaking at a ceremony, he said those opposing the hijab are committing ‘Moharebeh’, a serious crime under Sharia laws. Moharebeh in Iran means “the act of taking up arms against the people, which is identical to fighting God”, the second Iran International report quoted above said. If convicted, the offender could be awarded the death penalty.