What Did the Presidential Candidates for 1403 Say About Mandatory Hijab?

Less than two years after the emergence of the "Women, Life, Freedom" protests and the escalating criticism of government agents' violence against women who refuse to comply with mandatory hijab, the positions of presidential candidates on this issue have become newsworthy during the televised debates for the 1403 presidential election. So far, what have been the views and positions of the six presidential candidates regarding freedom of dress, as a central demand of a significant portion of women in Iranian society, and have any of their statements been able to inspire hope for reducing restrictions and encouraging women to participate in the upcoming elections? From previous promises to Iran 1403, since the serious establishment of electoral debates in Iran, the issue of morality patrols and mandatory hijab has also become one of the important topics in these debates, and some candidates have resorted to making promises to reduce restrictions and grant more freedoms in this area. In previous periods, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, as one of the presidential candidates and a politician whom international media described as a "super conservative" figure of the Islamic Republic, promised to eliminate the government's control over people's dress in public places. In a televised debate, he stated that the government's duty is to create peace and psychological security in society, asking: "Is our people's problem really the way our children wear their hair? Children want to wear their hair however they like; what does it have to do with you and me? [...] Is our country's problem that a certain girl wore a certain outfit?" However, the outcome of Ahmadinejad's presidency was nothing but a worsening of the conditions regarding the dress of young people and women in public: a 100% increase in morality patrols in Tehran. In the first year of Ahmadinejad's government, the so-called "Hijab and Chastity" plan, which had been approved by the Supreme Cultural Revolution Council of Iran at the end of Mohammad Khatami's presidency, was announced, and a year later, in 1385, green morality patrol vans appeared widely on the streets. A controversial bill's outlook, but this presidential election is taking place under circumstances where Iranian society is experiencing new developments, especially regarding the discussion of women's dress rights, following the death of Mahsa Amini in morality patrol custody and the formation of an unprecedented widespread protest movement against mandatory hijab. Although transformations have materialized in a significant portion of society, including the support of some veiled women for the right to freedom of dress, the government has, as in the past, attributed the "Women, Life, Freedom" protests to "foreign enemies." During the 34 months of Ebrahim Raisi's presidency, the current government of the Islamic Republic has enacted stricter laws for enforcing mandatory hijab and intensified criminalization in case of opposition to it. Most of the early candidates for this year's election have hardly mentioned anything other than defending the government in the policy of enforcing mandatory hijab or have not spoken from a different perspective for changing the current situation. Except for Masoud Pezeshkian, the other five candidates have used the term "riots" for the protests of 1401. Mostafa Pourmohammadi, one of the candidates for the 1403 election with a long history in the security and judicial sectors of the government, claimed that Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic, was supportive of women from the very beginning of the establishment of the government. In one of the debates, he stated: "Imam [Khomeini] opened a new page in Iran's history with the presence of women and brought women into all social arenas, and women won the revolution." This statement comes at a time when women were among the first segments of society to hold marches and gatherings in protest against the restrictions imposed on them in the early days after the 57 revolution. Less than a month after the Iranian revolution, numerous women protested on International Women's Day in Esfand 1357, turning into anti-government demonstrations. Shortly after the revolution, Ruhollah Khomeini abolished the Family Protection Law and made Islamic hijab mandatory in the country, and according to experts, this marked the beginning of the first foundations of "widespread and systematic" violations of women's rights in the Islamic Republic. Where did the whispers of mandatory hijab begin? Pourmohammadi, in 1390, when he was the head of the country's Inspection Organization, addressed opponents of morality patrols, saying: "We always witness your criticism of the police's or morality patrol's approach, but you never present a solution. You always say do not confront. Should this issue be left alone? Should we surrender to the onslaughts, negligence, violations, and tarnishing the sanctity of chastity, hijab, and purity? Should we remain silent until the borders gradually collapse? What should we do?" However, during the current debates broadcast by the Islamic Republic's state television, he claimed: "If I win, I will withdraw the bill on chastity and hijab that is a concern." Pourmohammadi also emphasized that "the issue of women, chastity, and hijab is considered a strength and advantage," but did not clarify how he intends to implement the general policy of mandatory hijab in the Islamic Republic. Emphasis on the continuation of mandatory hijab, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, one of the prominent candidates of the principlists in this election, is someone who has supported the approval of the so-called "Chastity and Hijab" law during his presidency in the Islamic Consultative Assembly. In 1402, on a day designated in the Islamic Republic's calendar as "Chastity and Hijab Day," he wrote in a message: "Today, when the enemies of this nation target the chastity and hijab of Iranian women and free Muslim women, we have a greater duty than ever to uphold this definite religious obligation." Qalibaf stated in a debate about hijab: "Improper dressing and lack of hijab is a decline of our families and society, and we must not allow it to happen." He attacked Pourmohammadi, who said he would withdraw the so-called "Chastity and Hijab" bill, adding: "This bill is on its course, and all sections of this bill are aimed at positive actions." Meanwhile, this bill includes heavy financial penalties and various other punishments against women opposing mandatory hijab. Moreover, Alireza Zakani, the mayor of Tehran, who previously caused widespread protests and heightened tensions in society by hiring agents as "hijab enforcers" in Tehran's subways, attempted to distance himself from this action and denied the presence of these agents. In one of the debates of this period, he completely rejected the existence of hijab enforcers in public spaces, especially the streets of the capital. This is while Zakani had previously defended such actions at the beginning of the hijab enforcers' activities, stating that the Tehran municipality is ready to assist the police in preventing "improper hijab." The mayor of Tehran stated: "We will eliminate improper hijab, and separating subway cars is a positive cultural program." Saeed Jalili, another principlist candidate in the election, has also conditioned women's presence in society on mandatory hijab. From Jalili's perspective, a woman without hijab has no place in social activities. He stated: "Hijab is the clothing of women's social presence, which plays an important role in preserving their dignity and progress." Jalili, a member of the Expediency Discernment Council, also made radical statements last year defending mandatory hijab, saying: "In defending the right and truth, whether in the case of hijab or in the realm of cyberspace, we should not stutter. In this case, the foundations of the country will not be harmed. We must implement our vision powerfully, without stuttering, and with a plan." Amir Hossein Ghazizadeh Hashemi, the youngest candidate in the 14th presidential election and the current head of the Martyrs Foundation, is also considered a staunch defender of mandatory hijab. He stated: "Contrary to the superficial materialist propaganda, hijab is not only a source of women's captivity but also a source of their identity and freedom. A woman without hijab becomes small, light, and worthless." Ghazizadeh emphasized that the ideological role of mandatory hijab in the Islamic Republic is significant, stating that the value of this issue goes beyond religious beliefs: "Today, hijab is not just a belief; it is a symbol." During a debate focused on mandatory hijab, he claimed: "The concern of our women is not hijab, and this is also a fallacy." Ghazizadeh made this claim while the demand for freedom and the right to choose one's dress, especially since September 26, 1401, and the beginning of the "Women, Life, Freedom" movement, has become more pronounced among many women in Iranian society. Emphasis on the necessity of "educating" girls, Masoud Pezeshkian, who is supported by various reformist factions of the Islamic Republic in the upcoming election, has taken a contradictory position regarding hijab. On the one hand, he protests against the morality patrol's treatment of women, especially the death of Jina Mahsa Amini in morality patrol custody, while on the other hand, he insists that women and girls should be "educated" by men in society and institutions like the clergy, mosques, and state media. Pezeshkian does not consider refusal to comply with mandatory hijab a choice but describes it as a deviation from the main path, and in his view, the government is responsible for leading all women opposing mandatory hijab astray. He stated: "It is not right to blame each other for the faults because the fault belongs to all of us. Governments do not create culture. Culture is created by religious institutions, mosques, and cultural places in the country. What does it have to do with universities and other places? The respected clergy are present in universities, schools, and neighborhoods. If they become unveiled, how did they become unveiled?" He added: "The reality is that we have raised these girls and women; foreigners have not raised them." The emphasis on the necessity of educating women and girls in Masoud Pezeshkian's statements has been repeated multiple times and has drawn considerable criticism. Overall, with the views expressed by the six presidential candidates during the televised debates regarding women's dress rights, it seems that women opposing mandatory hijab have not been encouraged to participate in this election, including several prominent figures among women's rights activists such as Narges Mohammadi and Sedigheh Vosoughi, who have firmly boycotted the upcoming presidential election: Narges Mohammadi: I will not participate in the illegal elections of the oppressive and illegitimate government.