Three Managers Dismissed After Ceremony Honoring Doctor with Optional Hijab

The controversy surrounding the presence of a female doctor with optional hijab at a ceremony attended by managers and officials continues, with the latest report from 'Bashgah Khabaran' stating that three managers from the health and treatment department and the nursing and midwifery school of Amol have been dismissed. According to this news agency affiliated with the Islamic Republic's broadcasting service, the managerial changes in these institutions were due to the presence of officials at a meeting where a doctor without hijab was honored, and the managers present did not react in protest to this action. The presence of Dr. Fatemeh Raji Rad without hijab at the Amol Physician's Day ceremony was a topic that generated significant controversy following the publication of her images, including her summons to the Amol prosecutor's office. In this context, on November 4, the president of Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences announced that the medical license of a doctor was suspended due to 'inappropriate behavior and actions contrary to Islamic standards.' The state news agency IRNA reported on Thursday, November 4, that one of the doctors had committed a 'norm-breaking' act while receiving a certificate of appreciation at the ceremony honoring exemplary doctors in Amol. Farhad Gholami, the president of Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, described this doctor as 'violating and law-breaking' and stated that the suspension of her medical license was on the agenda of the medical system. According to Gholami, in addition to the suspension of this exemplary doctor's medical license in Amol, the managers present at this conference have also been referred to the administrative and disciplinary violations committee. Iranian officials have introduced mandatory hijab and restrictions against social freedoms as 'norms' and punish any resistance in these areas under the pretext of 'norm-breaking.' Meanwhile, Amnesty International previously described the intensified crackdown on opponents of mandatory hijab as a reflection of the Iranian government's 'appalling disregard' for women's human rights. In a statement, Amnesty International characterized the intensified repression of women advocating for optional hijab as a sign of the government's 'inevitable effort' to 'consolidate dominance and power' over those who bravely stood against 'decades of oppression and inequality' in the wake of the 'Women, Life, Freedom' protests. Zeynab Kazemi, an engineer opposing mandatory hijab, was also sentenced to 74 lashes last winter after removing her headscarf at a general assembly of the Engineering System Organization of Tehran Province on charges of 'hurting public morality.' Dr. Fatemeh Raji Rad, whose medical license was revoked after refusing to comply with mandatory hijab, has drawn reactions from Iranian figures regarding the death of Armita Garavand; sorrow, anger, and frustration. Exclusive | Shabnam Farshadjou, actress: I was aware of the consequences when I decided to remove the mandatory hijab. Taraneh Alidoosti: I will not wear the fabric that killed my sisters for your films. The Guardian Council deemed the 'Chastity and Hijab' bill 'ambiguous' and contrary to some principles of the Constitution.