As the Hijab Bill Fluctuates in Parliament, Mohseni Ejei States We Are Not in a Good Place Regarding Chastity and Hijab

A week after Ali Khamenei reiterated the imposition of mandatory hijab, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei has stated that the Islamic Republic is not in a good place regarding "hijab and chastity"; remarks that some believe could precede a crackdown. The head of the judiciary emphasized in a meeting with several media officials that "I still believe that by adhering to the existing laws, we can improve the situation of chastity and hijab before the relevant law is approved." Mohseni Ejei mentioned: "Today, the psychological security of society is not good; who disrupts this security? From which direction is this security compromised? Are enemies involved in all these cases? Are all these issues arising from a specific group?" The remarks from the head of the Iranian judiciary are not new, as he had previously stated on November 8, 2023, that "we should not wait for the approval of the bill related to chastity and hijab, but as we have repeatedly emphasized, we must utilize the existing legal capacities in this area." This senior judicial official insisted that prosecutors, the police, and the Ministry of Interior should take action in this area and not wait for the approval of the bill related to "chastity and hijab." Mohseni Ejei characterized those opposing mandatory hijab as individuals who "play in the enemy's field" and emphasized that "we must certainly stand against these individuals and confront them according to the law." His statements ultimately led to a harsher response from the "fire-at-will" groups and the establishment of internal laws and regulations in various agencies to intensify the enforcement of mandatory hijab. Meanwhile, reports emerged yesterday indicating that the "chastity and hijab" bill is in the final stage of revisions and corrections by the Guardian Council, and upon its finalization, increased pressure on the people is expected. The Guardian Council completed its review of this bill before the end of the 13-day Nowruz holiday, again pointing out several issues with the amendments made by Parliament and returning the bill to Parliament for the third time. In this regard, Hassan Norouzi, the deputy head of the Judicial and Legal Commission of Parliament, stated on April 7 that the issues raised by the Guardian Council mainly concern the difference between an infraction and a crime, which will soon be corrected. Morteza Ghazanfari Abadi, the head of the Legal and Judicial Commission of Parliament, also mentioned that a decision regarding the chastity and hijab bill will be made this week. Previously, Amir Hossein Banki Pourfard, a representative from Isfahan in Parliament, reported a systematic deduction of three million from the accounts of women without hijab as a fine, emphasizing that these women will be tried in subsequent instances. The spokesperson for the Guardian Council announced last November that the chastity and hijab bill was returned to Parliament due to unclear boundaries of the regulations in some cases, lack of definitions for some interpretative terms, ambiguity regarding the relationship of some provisions with the decisions of the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution, and the contradiction of some articles with Article 75 of the Constitution regarding increasing public costs or reducing public revenues without providing a means for compensation. The Legal and Judicial Commission of Parliament subsequently revised the bill and sent it back to the Guardian Council, which also returned it to Parliament due to further issues. Last year, the "chastity and hijab" bill, prepared in 9 articles by the judiciary and sent to the government and then to Parliament with 15 articles, was approved by Parliament through Article 85 of the Constitution with 72 articles after review by the Judicial and Legal Commission. The bill remains in a back-and-forth process between the Guardian Council and the Islamic Consultative Assembly.