Rouhani: Some Think All Hijab and Chastity Relate to the Scarf

Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, described "chastity and hijab" as "an internal issue like fasting" and asked, "Can you force someone to fast? If you say so, they will claim they are fasting but will go to another room and drink water." According to ISNA news agency, Mr. Rouhani emphasized during an iftar ceremony with a group of women on Sunday evening, July 21, that "is it really correct to arrest someone on the street, take them away, and create a case against them?" He stressed that "some think that all hijab and chastity relate to the scarf, its type, and style. Do we not have chastity and hijab in language, gaze, and eyes? In fact, in Surah An-Nur, the discussion of chastity starts with men." While officials in Rouhani's government emphasize what they call cultural actions regarding hijab, several members of the Iranian parliament and conservative political figures have criticized the government for not implementing the "chastity and hijab law." Meanwhile, Hossein Ashtari, the police chief, stated on Tuesday, July 16, that "the Supreme Cultural Revolution Council's chastity and hijab plan has 300 resolutions related to 26 organizations, but only the police continue their mission among these institutions." Members of the Islamic Consultative Assembly were not satisfied with the explanations of Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli, the Minister of Interior in Rouhani's government, regarding "the ministry's actions concerning the hijab and chastity law" and gave him a "yellow card" on Tuesday, July 3. On Sunday, Shahindokht Molaverdi, the Vice President of Iran for Women and Family Affairs, also stated that they have not been successful in implementing the "law for the expansion of chastity and hijab" and that they are drifting further away from its goals day by day. Rouhani's remarks about fasting come at a time when news has emerged since the beginning of Ramadan about the crackdown on several individuals accused of "publicly breaking the fast," including the arrest of 500 people in Shiraz and 92 "girls and boys" in Tabriz. Additionally, according to a report from Khorasan newspaper last Friday, four individuals who publicly smoked hookah during Ramadan in Torqabeh near Mashhad received 74 lashes as a court ruling. Such rulings were also implemented last year in other Iranian cities, including 200 people in Qazvin who were lashed for "publicly breaking the fast." In another part of his speech, Rouhani mentioned that women have not achieved their "legitimate demands" in many cases, but since the victory of the Islamic Revolution until today, "very good movements have taken place." He added, "There have even been discussions about the presence of female and male students under one roof, and the government is still under pressure for some ceremonies." In recent months, the opposition of Nasir Makarem Shirazi, a cleric in Qom, and the Ansar Hezbollah group to the presence of women in stadiums has made headlines. Ultimately, Shahindokht Molaverdi stated on Wednesday, July 10, that the government made efforts to allow women in stadiums but decided against it due to the stance of some Shia clerics.