Last September, 22-year-old Mahsa Amini was arrested in Tehran for wearing her hijab too loosely. Such incidents aren’t unheard of in the Islamic Republic of Iran, where hijabs have been compulsory for all women since April 1981. But Amini’s death under police custody three days later sparked nationwide protests that called for not just the abolishment of the chastity law but also the end of the Islamic Republic. Though protests have died down since, animosity towards the current regime is yet to disappear. This February, on the 44th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution, anti-regime hackers diverted President Ebrahim Raisi’s speech with the message: “Death to the Islamic Republic”. As the country moves further away from the 1979 revolution that founded the current Islamic Republic, it is questionable whether the regime will be able to retain its hold.
Iran’s hijab laws were first brought up in 1979. When the first supreme leader of Iran Ruhollah Khomeini decreed that women are not allowed to enter their workplace without veiling on March 7 of that year, the resulting protests forced the government to retract their statements. However, the regime doubled down on their policies after eliminating their political opponents, leading to mandatory veiling in 1981 and a law punishing unveiled women in 1983.
The hijab law states that women and girls over nine years old must wear a hijab in public, even if they are not Muslim or Iranian. Failing to abide, they face correctional facilities, fines, lashes, or imprisonment. If they protest against the law, they may also face execution. Though the law in itself is an infringement upon Iranian women’s rights, the lack of definition on what constitutes improper wearing of the hijab is also cause for concern. It signifies that the morality police can harass Iranians any way they see fit.
Through the years, the law has been enforced to different lengths depending on who was in charge, but it has never disappeared. Under the rule of ex-President Hassan Rouhani, the hijab law was enforced less strictly, with small fines taking the place of arrests. Elected in 2021, President Raisi has taken a hard line on the law, ordering a crackdown on the “improper hijab” on July 5, 2022. The crackdown brought forward new regulations including the hijab needing to cover one’s neck and shoulders along with hair. Violators were barred from public transport and government offices. This marked the end to an era of lenient policing.
In the protests that broke out last September, numerous women took to the streets in opposition of the law. The authorities responded aggressively, even resorting to opening fire on the protestors. Human rights organizations reported that more than 500 protestors have died while thousands have been arrested, and the international community has condemned the human rights violation in Iran.
Ultimately, although the Iranian government succeeded in putting a stop to the protests, it evidently felt the pressure of continued strife within the nation combined with international criticism. Last December, the Iranian Attorney General announced the suspension of the morality police, though there was no indication that it would be a permanent measure. Still, this is a victory for protestors, albeit one that may be overturned when international attention dies down or another hardliner president is elected. There has been a conspicuous lack of punishment towards unveiled women ever since, which women have taken advantage of. Especially in areas that skew young, it is not uncommon to see unveiled women continuing their protest against the still-enduring hijab law. But going against the law is still risky behavior in 2023, as shown through the two unveiled women who were attacked with yogurt and subsequently arrested on April 1. Meanwhile, the Iranian authorities are planning to install public cameras to identify and later punish unveiled women.
The hijab law is only one among the many laws that restrict the lives of Iranian women, but it serves as a visual reminder of the regime’s control. It exemplifies the government’s control over even the private lives of individual citizens, including their choice of clothing. But continued protests show that Iranians are unwilling to put up with the law any longer. To many Iranians, the issue has also moved beyond dress or religion. With the underperforming economy, Iranians have held festering ill-will towards their government, and even protestors clad in chadors called for the end of their current leaders. It remains to be seen whether the Iranian government will have to follow the tide of change or the resistance will grow to overpower it.