In Iran, parliamentarians have taken the controversial tightening of the headscarf obligation a decisive step forward. A parliamentary commission approved the draft law, which had been the subject of controversy for months, the Tasnim news agency reported on Monday. However, further steps in the legislative process are necessary before the law comes into force.
In its most recent version, the reform provides for harsh penalties for disregarding the Islamic dress code. These include fines for multiple violations. In extreme cases, up to 15 years in prison and a fine of more than 5,000 euros can be imposed.
Celebrities should be punished particularly harshly for violations. Numerous filmmakers had already shown solidarity with the women’s movement during the wave of protests in autumn. The draft also provides for professional bans of up to 15 years. The judiciary should be able to confiscate a tenth of the property. Foreigners can be expelled from the country if they disregard them.
If women don’t wear a headscarf at work, they risk being excluded from official services. It is a punishable offense to publish photos online without a headscarf. Exit bans are also planned. The judiciary threatens to close shopping arcades, restaurants or museums in the event of violations. Insults against veiled women can be punished with six months imprisonment and 74 lashes.
The law cites short-sleeved shirts or ripped jeans as examples of “poor clothing” for women, pants with short inseams or tank tops for men. The law obliges the ministries and security services with detailed instructions to enforce the Islamic dress code. Citizens and police officers should be able to report violations easily.
The penal reform is a response by the clerical and political leadership to the protests led by women against the Islamic Republic in autumn 2022. While everyday life has returned to the country, numerous women in the metropolises are demonstratively resisting the headscarf requirement, also as a sign of silence protests
Hardliners have been demanding tougher action against the numerous violations for months. In its current form, the draft law has been widely criticized. This is another reason why the government used a political trick. It appointed members of a special commission, in accordance with the constitution, to approve the law without a large vote in parliament. The 70-article penal reform is to be introduced on a probationary period, a condition of the special procedure.
The newspaper “Hammihan”, which is assigned to the camp of reform politicians, criticized the procedure in an editorial on Monday. An expert criticized the political trick. “This bill should have been passed in parliament in a public and transparent manner,” the paper quoted lawyer Huschang Purbabaie as saying.
Iran’s supreme religious leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the final say in all strategic matters, was also consulted on the new headscarf law. Wearing a hijab is a religious obligation, the 84-year-old affirmed. At the same time, the head of state said recently that women with ill-fitting headscarves are not opponents of religion and revolution.
The headscarf requirement has been the law in the country of nearly 90 million people for more than 40 years. Duty is considered one of the ideological pillars.
