Interior Minister Acknowledges Ineffectiveness of Islamic Republic's 'Severity' in Dealing with Hijab

The Iranian Interior Minister, Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli, acknowledged that the 'severity' applied to hijab enforcement since the revolution has not achieved the desired results. In a meeting of the National Social Council on Sunday, March 4, he called for 'precise studies, analytical reports, and causal analyses' regarding hijab. He emphasized that the issue of hijab should not be limited to the morality police, law enforcement, and the judiciary, stating that the intensity used after the Islamic Revolution did not yield the expected outcomes, and therefore, the approach should be people-centered and involve public participation. Furthermore, he noted that social changes and lifestyle transformations have accelerated developments related to social manifestations, especially concerning hijab. Rahmani Fazli claimed that the government's perspective on hijab is not criminalizing but rather cultural, requiring sensitive handling. However, simultaneously, the Tehran prosecutor declared that 'displaying improper hijab is a crime.' Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi criticized those comparing the Islamic Republic's hijab enforcement to Reza Shah's policies, asserting that unveiling is a crime and urging the police to fulfill their duties. Earlier, Tehran's police chief warned that the police would have 'no leniency' in dealing with those protesting mandatory hijab. This statement followed the release of a video showing police violently handling a protester, Maryam Shariati, who was thrown from an electric pole. Journalist Zhila Baniyaghoub reported on Twitter that Shariati's condition was critical, having undergone surgery and requiring immediate medical attention, but authorities were ignoring her situation. Additionally, reports emerged of a violent incident involving a plainclothes officer and a protester named Hamraz Sadeghi, resulting in her arm being broken and her arrest. Meanwhile, Amnesty International expressed concern for detained women protesting mandatory hijab, and Human Rights Watch called on Iranian authorities to cease prosecuting women for peaceful protests against hijab laws. The U.S. State Department also expressed support for Iranian women's and men's protests against compulsory hijab. On March 4, the trial of Narges Hosseini, known as 'the second girl of Enghelab Street,' took place, with her facing charges of 'encouraging corruption,' 'not observing Sharia hijab,' and 'pretending to commit a forbidden act.' According to Article 639 of the Islamic Penal Code, anyone who establishes or manages a center of corruption or prostitution or encourages people towards corruption can face imprisonment from one to ten years. Some legal experts have stated that the actions of those protesting mandatory hijab fall under Article 638, which stipulates that women appearing in public without proper hijab can face imprisonment of ten days to two months or fines ranging from 50,000 to 500,000 rials. Public protests against mandatory hijab began in December with the release of a video showing a young woman, Vida Mohammadi, protesting in Enghelab Street.