Head of Women's Faction in Parliament Calls for 'Documented Report on the Performance of Guidance Patrol'

Parvaneh Salahshouri, the head of the Women's Faction in the Islamic Consultative Assembly, on Tuesday called for a documented report on the results of the 13-year performance of the Guidance Patrol. She also criticized Hassan Rouhani's approach to social freedoms, stating, "I wish Rouhani had never said these things." In an interview with ILNA, Salahshouri demanded that if the Guidance Patrol has achieved a "desired result" and created a "better hijab" in society after 13 years, "they should show it with evidence." Her remarks come after the publication of a video showing a girl being beaten by a female Guidance Patrol officer, an incident that has faced widespread criticism in Iran. Zahra Saei, another member of parliament, also mentioned the activities of the Guidance Patrol in Iran since the 1980s, stating that their performance should be reviewed to see if they have achieved their "goals" and whether their "functions" over the years have been appropriate. Negative enforcement regarding hijab in Iran has even been deemed unsuccessful by responsible officials, including the Minister of Interior in Rouhani's government, who acknowledged that the "intensity" used regarding hijab after the revolution has not been effective. On Tuesday, Salahshouri referred to the Interior Minister's recent statements that "the government is concerned about hijab" and reminded that the presence of the Guidance Patrol in the streets contradicts Rouhani's statement, "Let people live." She criticized the actions of police officers under the Ministry of Interior, questioning, "Mr. Rouhani, who is he saying these things for? I wish he never said this." This parliament member called for "allowing people to live," not just in words but in "action," and added that "some make statements, but their actions are different." Criticism regarding the Guidance Patrol's treatment of women has recently echoed not only on social media but also among parliament members and some government officials. For instance, on Sunday, Iranian media reported that Salahshouri mentioned a collective inquiry from parliament members to the Interior Minister regarding the violent treatment of women by Guidance Patrol officers. In her recent interview with ILNA, Salahshouri also emphasized that "more disrespectful and negative" actions regarding hijab yield "opposite results" and that in Iran, unlike Turkey and Malaysia, where, according to her, "the number of veiled individuals increases daily," the trend is "completely opposite." This representative also noted that negative actions against Iranian citizens are not limited to women opposing mandatory or government hijab, adding that "they also confront political activists, students, and women; it cannot be that all people are treated this way." Parvaneh Salahshouri, a sociologist and women's rights activist, had previously made statements against violence against women in society and mandatory hijab when she entered the tenth parliament, but later had to retract under pressure from media and conservative figures. At that time, she stated that she believes in the optional nature of hijab and that a time will come when Iranian women can choose for themselves in this regard, asserting that it is one of women's basic rights to choose their attire. In recent months, following public opposition from several women in Iran regarding mandatory hijab and the mass arrest of some in various cities, especially Tehran, not only did the Iranian police announce a no-nonsense approach to improper hijab, but this issue was also raised in Friday prayer sermons and even in statements from the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic. Although Ayatollah Ali Khamenei attempted to belittle recent opposition to mandatory hijab in his statements, the clashes between Guidance Patrol officers and individuals not adhering to the government's hijab standards, along with numerous videos of verbal confrontations between these women and the enforcers of virtue shared on social media, indicate otherwise.