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Iran
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Iran’s government doubles down as more women say no to the hijab

  • Authorities have made legal threats, closed some businesses serving women not wearing the hijab and are using CCTV to identify women without a hijab
  • Analysts in Iran warn that the government could reignite dissent if it pushes too hard, as the Islamic Republic struggles with economic woes

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Authorities have made legal threats and closed down some businesses serving women not wearing the hijab. Photo: AP
Associated Press
Billboards across Iran’s capital proclaim that women should wear their mandatory headscarves to honour their mothers. But perhaps for the first time since the chaotic days following Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution, more women – both young and old – choose not to do so.
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Such open defiance comes after months of protests over the September death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in the custody of the country’s morality police, for wearing her hijab too loosely.

While the demonstrations appear to have cooled, the choice by some women not to cover their hair in public poses a new challenge to the country’s theocracy. The women’s resistance also lays bare schisms in Iran that had been veiled for decades.

Authorities have made legal threats and closed down some businesses serving women not wearing the hijab. Police and volunteers issue verbal warnings in subways, airports and other public places. Text messages have targeted drivers who had women without head covering in their vehicles.

However, analysts in Iran warn that the government could reignite dissent if it pushes too hard.

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The protests erupted at a difficult time for the Islamic Republic, currently struggling with economic woes brought on by its stand-off with the West over its rapidly advancing nuclear programme.

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