Final Version of the 'Hijab and Chastity Bill'; Employee Rights Reduced for Violating Mandatory Hijab

The final version of the bill known as the 'Bill for the Support of Chastity and Hijab' has been released, introducing financial penalties across all sectors, including a provision to deduct one-third of the salaries of employees in various agencies for not adhering to the mandatory hijab as stipulated by the Islamic Republic. According to the text published by the Mehr News Agency, 'unveiling in public places' will only be pursued by the police, with the first offense resulting in a warning via text message, and subsequent offenses leading to escalating fines. The bill also includes penalties for 'exposing parts of the body or wearing thin, revealing, or tight clothing in public or public places,' which will incur fines and, upon repeat offenses, referral to court for further penalties. It states that 'individuals who fully expose their bodies in public or online will face imprisonment or fines and deprivation of social rights of the sixth degree.' For vehicle occupants, the initial stage will be a warning, followed by a seven-day travel ban for the vehicle, and repeat offenses will lead to a ten-day vehicle impoundment. Non-compliance with the mandatory hijab by employees and individuals teaching or working in educational or research centers, whether public or private, will result in a deduction of one-fifth of their salaries and benefits for one to three months, escalating to one-third for two to six months, along with the cancellation of all privileges, discounts, and exemptions. Additionally, owners, managers, and operators of public establishments, both state and non-state, will receive a closure warning on the first offense, with closures lasting up to two weeks for repeat offenses. They will also be deprived of all privileges, discounts, and exemptions for up to a year. Recognized individuals in social, political, cultural, artistic, or sports sectors will face the cancellation of all privileges and a judicial ruling barring them from professional activities and online presence for three months to a year. The bill stipulates that organized or colluding individuals with foreign intelligence and security agencies committing unveiling will face a two-year exit ban and imprisonment of the fifth degree, depending on the crime. In the virtual space, individuals promoting anti-hijab sentiments will receive warnings and, if persistent, face penalties including a ban from online activities for three to six months and fines. The bill also emphasizes that no one has the right to commit criminal acts against women, such as insults, defamation, threats, or violations of their privacy, and such behaviors will be addressed. The new legislative approach to hijab, emphasizing financial penalties and prohibiting intervention by Basij forces and vigilantes, has drawn significant criticism. The Secretary of the 'Promotion of Virtue' headquarters criticized the 'Hijab and Chastity' bill, identifying its greatest weakness as its reliance solely on a criminological perspective. He argued that considering social and jurisprudential perspectives would have been much more effective. Mohammad Hossein Taheri Akhardi, in an interview with the state news agency IRNA, pointed out that the bill's weakness lies in its lack of field research, stating that a group of experts has merely approached the issue from a criminological perspective, categorizing hijab violations solely as crimes. In this context, Shahla Shafiq, a writer and sociologist, told Voice of America that mandatory hijab is not only the ideological banner of the Islamic Republic but that the government is also seeking profit through it. Roya Kashafi, a human rights activist, noted that over the past four decades, there have been various instances of violations against women's rights, asserting that the effort to maintain mandatory hijab is, in fact, an attempt to uphold all discriminatory laws against women.