Tehran. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has once again openly defended mandatory hijab and strict dress code. In frequent postings on the social media platform
This statement came at a time when more than 150 MPs of Iran’s Parliament accused the judiciary of loosening the hijab law. Just a day later, Khamenei responded. He wrote, the first duty of the society is to ensure the safety, dignity and peace of women. This is exactly what Islam does. In the West, capitalism offers advertisements, films and fashion to women. There a woman is considered just a body. Khamenei also mentioned gender pay inequality in Western society. She said that women there are made to do equal work, but are paid less and their physical exploitation is common. On the contrary, in Islam, woman has been described as the flower of the house. Quoting the Hadith, he wrote, “Woman is not a servant. She is a flower to be looked after. Her fragrance and color make the whole house fragrant. Give her respect and protection, and she will enrich you.”
Khamenei also said that the law on hijab and veil protects a woman from the prying eyes of men while walking on the street and gives her a respectable identity. According to them, western freedom means only nudity and enjoyment, whereas the Islamic system empowers women, gives her full rights to study, move ahead and create her own identity. There were major anti-hijab movements in Iran following the death in custody of Mahsa Amini in 2022. Since then the demand to make the law more stringent had intensified. Khamenei’s latest statements have rekindled that debate. The government is now working on a new law, in which there will be a provision of heavy fine and jail sentence for not wearing hijab. Khamenei’s message is clear – hijab is not oppression, it is an Islamic way of protecting women’s dignity and security.
