The Islamic Republic and the 'Hijab Issue': From Coercive Measures to a 255 Billion Toman Clinic

The Islamic Republic, which has positioned 'hijab' as one of the main pillars of its identity since its inception and has imposed significant costs on the people, especially women, has now launched a new project called 'Anti-Hijab Clinic' with a budget of 255 billion tomans. Iranian newspapers on Saturday, November 26, 1403, linked the establishment of the 'Anti-Hijab Clinic' in Tehran to an individual named 'Mehrieh Darastani' and reported that this person, who is behind the plan, received 155 billion tomans from the general budget and 100 billion tomans from the government to establish the 'Anti-Hijab Clinic.' According to the newspaper Etemad, the designers of this 'clinic' claim that in collaboration with 'specialists and concerned individuals' at the 'Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice Headquarters' and 'based on repeated requests made to the Tehran provincial headquarters by families, women, and girls,' and after specialized studies and expert meetings, they have established the first 'specialized counseling and support clinic for returning to hijab' titled 'Anti-Hijab Clinic' in Tehran. The newspaper Jomhouri Eslami also wrote in this regard: 'The well did not reach the water, but for a group, it had plenty of bread. No profits are anticipated from the Anti-Hijab Clinic, but it imposes many costs. The first and least costly of these is the ridicule of the subject. The second is the serious perception of insulting individuals, which not only does not bring cooperation but also shortens the path to coexistence.' The government of Masoud Behzadian also does not take responsibility for the 'Anti-Hijab Clinic.' Zahra Behrouzazad, the Deputy for Women and Family Affairs of the Presidency, stated that this issue has no connection to the government and its formation was not approved by the government. Fatemeh Mohajerani, the spokesperson for the Behzadian government, also strongly denied the involvement of the fourteenth government in this matter one day after the Promotion of Virtue Headquarters announced that the plan to create the 'Anti-Hijab Clinic' was based on the president's discussions about talking to the youth. This plan has also raised the voices of scientific specialists, including psychologists, who have strongly protested this action. Dr. Sasan Tokhali, an activist in the field of psychiatry and mental health, wrote on his X account: 'Plans like the 'Anti-Hijab Clinic' have no connection or relevance to the application of 'scientific psychology,' and the use of terms like 'clinic,' 'abandonment,' 'treatment,' and so on is a case of exploitation and 'instrumental use of psychology.' Vahid Shari'at, a professor of psychiatry at Iran University of Medical Sciences, also told Etemad: 'The notion that establishing a clinic can change and treat lifestyles is a mistaken perception. It is clear that these behaviors will not achieve the goals for which they were designed, but the more dangerous issue is that this misuse of scientific language and terminology will harm science. It is not possible to act arbitrarily with scientific principles and consider something new as a disease or disorder every day. Hamid Poursharifi, the president of the Iranian Psychiatric Association, also stated: 'Plans like the Anti-Hijab Clinics are an abuse of psychology. The hijab of the people has nothing to do with their mental health issues and is a personal choice. When they use the word treatment regarding this issue, it means an exploitation of psychology and practically a form of mental confusion, as it causes individuals to become suspicious of mental health services.' The officials of the Islamic Republic have previously labeled opponents of the regime and political prisoners as 'mentally ill' and detained them in psychotherapy centers. For instance, in recent months, Roya Zakeri, a civil activist opposed to compulsory hijab, was imprisoned in the isolation section of the Razi Psychiatric Hospital in Tabriz after chanting against Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, during her arrest. The plan to open the 'Anti-Hijab Clinic' was announced just a few days after a wave of protests in Iran and the world against the arrest and transfer of Ahoo Daryai, a female student at Azad University, to a psychiatric hospital. According to reports, Ahoo Daryai, a seventh-semester French language student, protested against the compulsory hijab by undressing in the university courtyard after 'harassment by the university security.' According to state media, this center intends to mimic classes on combating and preventing social harms; it has been claimed that this clinic will provide 'individual counseling, group sessions, and skill-building workshops in the areas of self-awareness and managing social pressures.' The Iranian Scientific Psychiatric Association, on November 16, issued a statement after the violent arrest of Ahoo Daryai, stating that 'turning a therapeutic matter into a political one can deprive those in need of psychiatric services from proper, timely treatment and rehabilitation in a safe environment.' This association has repeatedly warned about the misuse of psychiatric science during the nationwide protests in Iran and emphasized that 'psychiatric diagnosis and treatment should never be a factor for pressuring groups of citizens or depriving them of their fundamental rights.'