Deputy of the Cultural Revolution Council: Hijab in Iran is Rapidly Declining

The Deputy for Women of the Cultural Revolution Council announced in a speech that hijab in Iran is "rapidly declining." A member of parliament also criticized the "ideologization" of hijab and its transformation into a political issue. According to ILNA news agency, Farishta Rouhafza stated on Saturday, December 1, at the conference "Iranian Women's Attire After the Revolution" that hijab is "rapidly declining" and "this decline will definitely increase." According to Ms. Rouhafza, employment, education, economic and social issues "have a direct impact on the decline of hijab and accelerate this decline." She also mentioned that for some individuals, including celebrities, "hijab is not acceptable." Previously, the Research Center of the Iranian Parliament reported that the number of people believing in mandatory hijab among educated individuals, youth, and those with access to media and cultural products and higher income is lower. According to this data, about 35% of people consider hijab "valuable," which represents a 50% decrease compared to the early years after the 1979 revolution. Ms. Rouhafza stated that this report was part of a study conducted at the Supreme Cultural Revolution Council in 2012 and was essentially a research thesis. At this conference, Parvaneh Salahshouri, a member of the Cultural Commission of Parliament, also mentioned that hijab after the 1979 revolution was presented as "a political matter rather than a cultural one." She added, "We only worked on the Islamic appearance and acted hypocritically, while we abandoned the content and did not teach the essence of religion to the youth." She also stated that "some believe in the right to choose their attire" and added, "It is very important that we reach a conclusion in our policymaking that defines the right to choose a customary attire." In the past year, public protests against mandatory hijab have made headlines, and several protesters known as the "Girls of the Revolution Street" have been sentenced to two years in prison. The Research Center of the Iranian Parliament also reported that "at least half of the people believe in the customary nature of hijab," meaning that hijab does not have a fixed form and its extent is determined by the customs of each society. Ms. Salahshouri also said, "I lived in India for 10 years. There, I wore a chador and a chin-strap scarf, but I really think we need to establish a new perspective. This way of dressing was harmful to me. The fact that I had surgery on my neck and my hand has been hurting for years is the result of years of wearing a chador." This member of the Hope faction in Parliament emphasized that institutions like state television and seminaries have been "ineffective" in the hijab debate despite their "billion-dollar budgets." Hijab was made mandatory in Iran shortly after the revolution. However, some Shia clerics oppose the mandatory hijab, while others believe that hijab is a changeable ruling. For instance, Ayatollah Mohammad Ishaq Fayyaz, one of the four famous sources of emulation in Najaf, stated in a meeting with the head of Iran's judiciary in 2016 that "using force and coercion in promoting hijab is ineffective." Hassan Youssefi Eshkevari, a Shia cleric, stated in 2000 on the sidelines of the Berlin conference that social rulings of Islam, including hijab, are changeable. He was accused of apostasy due to this statement and sentenced to death, but this ruling was eventually overturned, and Mr. Eshkevari was stripped of his clerical status and imprisoned for five years. In this context, 12 religious reformists issued a statement last February denying mandatory hijab, emphasizing that the policies of the Islamic Republic in this regard have resulted in nothing but "excessive financial costs, religious and spiritual discredit, political ineffectiveness, and social waste."