Warning from Friday Prayer Leaders Regarding Hijab; 'We Will Implement This Ruling to the Displeasure of Opponents'

One day after the remarks of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic regarding hijab, Friday Prayer leaders from various cities in Iran emphasized the enforcement of the 'hijab ruling', while a member of the Assembly of Experts stated that they will implement this 'ruling' 'to the displeasure of opponents'. According to the website Entekhab, Ahmad Khatami, in a speech in Mashhad on Friday, March 9, stated: 'The intention of those who speak of mandatory hijab is to destroy the religion.' He emphasized that 'all religious authorities say hijab is one of the necessities of religion, just like prayer, fasting, and other obligations.' Khatami's remarks come at a time when several Shia religious authorities do not believe in the mandatory nature of hijab. For instance, Ayatollah Mohammad Ishaq Fayyaz, one of the four prominent authorities in Najaf, stated last year in a meeting with the head of Iran's judiciary that 'the use of force and coercion in promoting hijab is ineffective.' Some Shia clerics also believe that hijab is a changeable ruling. For example, Hassan Youssefi Eshkouri, a Shia cleric, stated in 2000 at the Berlin conference that social rulings of Islam, including hijab, are changeable. He was accused of apostasy and sentenced to death for this statement, which was eventually overturned, and he suffered five years in prison in addition to being stripped of his clerical status. In another part of his speech, Ahmad Khatami said: 'With the stigma of mandatory hijab and the claim that hijab should not exist, they want to question God's law. Our revolution was to revive God's religion. We will implement the laws of religion to the displeasure of anyone who does not want it.' One day before these remarks, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, referred to the public protests against mandatory hijab in the past two months as 'small and insignificant' and criticized 'the issue of mandatory hijab being raised by some elites.' Meanwhile, several Friday Prayer leaders in Iran criticized the discussion of 'mandatory hijab'. For instance, Mohammad Ali Jazaeri, the Friday Prayer leader of Ahvaz, stated that if 'we back down on hijab today, tomorrow issues regarding alcohol and other matters will also be raised.' He addressed the critics of mandatory hijab, saying: 'Did you make an Islamic revolution or a democratic revolution? Did you send your children to the front for Islam or liberalism?' On the same day, Kazem Sedighi, the Friday Prayer leader of Tehran, stated that 'the Iranian nation will not succumb to bad hijab and no hijab.' According to Tasnim news agency, he added: 'Today, some individuals whose fathers were prominent in religion come and say things about hijab that are inappropriate.' In recent weeks, several critics have referred to religious matters and political history to criticize the continuation of mandatory hijab. For example, Alireza Beheshti, the son of Ayatollah Mohammad Beheshti, one of the founders of the Islamic Republic, stated in an interview with Asr Iran website that his father 'was against mandatory hijab.' The public protests against mandatory hijab, which began in December in Iran, have so far led to the arrest of more than 35 women, including Vida Mohad, Narges Hosseini, Azam Jangravi, Shaparak Shajary, and Maryam Shariyatmand. In this context, Ahmad Alam al-Huda, the Friday Prayer leader of Mashhad, said on Friday: 'The fact that a girl puts her headscarf on a stick and reveals her hair may seem like a childish act, but the movement that leads that girl is an identity-destroying movement in society.' Alam al-Huda also stated that the incident that occurred during the Women's Day program at Milad Tower 'was not an accident, but a planned action.' According to ILNA news agency, the Friday Prayer leader of Mashhad emphasized: 'With the dancing of a group of teenagers and young girls, they showed that the role model of society is not Fatima Zahra but Sophia Loren (a famous actress).' Alam al-Huda added: 'You cannot justify that these were children. The teenage and young girls who were exactly the point of provocation performed the most shameless acts. This is not justifiable.' Alam al-Huda's remarks refer to an event at Milad Tower where several young girls danced along with live music. Hardliners have strongly attacked this program, and Mohammad Jafar Montazeri, the Attorney General of the country, has officially ordered the 'judicial prosecution' of the organizers of this event.