Sediqeh Voseqi: Mandatory Hijab is a Futile Political Game That Women Will End with Their Resistance

On June 7, Sediqeh Voseqi described the government's struggle against the "majority of people's" demand for freedom of dress as "a futile political game" and emphasized that women will end this game with their resistance. This Islamic scholar and political activist stated in an Instagram story that the "Supreme Commander and subordinate commanders" are the main culprits of violence and hostility regarding hijab, asserting: "When the head of the judiciary invites prosecutors, police forces, and everyone to come to the field, it means an invitation to violence." In the post, which re-publishes Voseqi's account in the book "Oral History of Mandatory Hijab" by Mansoureh Hosseini Yeganeh, it is mentioned: "The government knows very well that most people in Iran, both hijab-wearing and non-hijab-wearing women, as well as religious and non-religious men, mostly oppose this strict dress code and its enforcement. Therefore, when it sends its forces to the field, it is essentially sending them to war against the people." Sediqeh Voseqi, a prominent Islamic scholar, was arrested at her home in Tehran on March 17 and was released from Evin Prison on May 10 following a deterioration of her health that had previously led to her blindness. Voseqi's story comes as Qassem Rezaei, the deputy commander of the Islamic Republic's police, announced on June 7, just before the start of the summer travel season, the deployment of 7,000 police officers to the northern beaches of Iran to "control the beaches and recreational areas" and threatened that any "norm-breaking" at the beaches would be met with "serious action" according to the law. Ahmadreza Radan, the police chief, had also reported last June on the physical and electronic monitoring of Iran's beaches to combat "norm-breakers." The pressure from Islamic Republic officials on women and the suppression of their right to choose their clothing has intensified since April 14, 2023, following a decree from Ali Khamenei in a plan referred to as "Noor Plan." Nevertheless, published visual reports on social media show that civil resistance among women and girls in the streets continues.