Iran's Reform Front Calls for Recognition of Women's Right to Choose Their Attire

The Reform Front of Iran, in a statement criticizing the treatment of women seeking optional hijab, described any 'mandatory intervention' regarding hijab as a 'strategic mistake' and called for 'recognition of the right to choose attire.' In its statement published on Friday, December 1, it deemed the policy of mandatory hijab as 'failed' and characterized the government's insistence on it as leading to the formation of 'sustained civil resistance.' The Reform Front of Iran, in part of its statement, recalled the killing of Mahsa (Zhina) Amini in the custody of the morality police and the subsequent deaths of hundreds of protesters, stating that the management of the country necessitates 'the use of wisdom and rationality' and 'meeting the demands and satisfaction' of the people. This political organization regarded the attire of any society as 'an outcome of the norms agreed upon by the community' and warned of the potential emergence of a 'new social tension,' calling for prevention of the 'repetition of failed policies' regarding mandatory hijab. The Reform Front of Iran also expressed concern about the consequences of the government's enforcement of mandatory hijab, stating that 'with the continuation of the current trend, there is no happy ending to this dispute.' Recently, two lawyers in Iran requested the Administrative Justice Court to annul the secret decree of the Ministry of Interior regarding the enforcement of mandatory hijab 'due to numerous legal flaws.' Additionally, Amnesty International recently criticized mandatory hijab in Iran as a tool for 'widespread and systematic violations of the human rights of women and girls' and called on countries worldwide to hold Iranian officials accountable for 'ordering, planning, and systematically violating the human rights of women and girls' through the enforcement of mandatory hijab. Despite the Iranian government's efforts to suppress women opposing mandatory hijab, videos and images shared on social media indicate that women demanding the right to choose their attire continue to appear in public without mandatory hijab. The request to annul the secret decree of the Ministry of Interior regarding mandatory hijab was discussed with Marzieh Mohabi. There is a power struggle over a law that the people oppose; the judiciary states that the government should not interfere with the text of the 'Chastity and Hijab' bill. A month after the death of Armita Garavand, a member of parliament stated that hijab enforcers should be stationed everywhere. Criticism of the Interior Minister's 'lying' about hijab enforcers in the metro continues.