For Christian women in Iran, deciding how to dress is a spiritual dilemma. In an eye-opening...
As a controversial new hijab law awaits implementation in Iran, the SAT-7 PARS show Insiders highlighted the struggle of women as well as men who desire greater freedom in the country.
The popular women’s talk show recently hosted rights activist Maryam Banihashemi, whose insights revealed the unity of the Iranian people against further attempts to enforce a strict dress code for women following widespread protests.
The Hijab and Chastity Law was set to come into effect in December but was paused by Iran’s National Security Council. President Massoud Pezeshkian, who had criticized the treatment of women over the hijab issue during the presidential election last year, called the legislation “ambiguous and in need of reform.” 1
“The majority of society – regardless of whether they are religious or not – opposes this compulsory hijab law,” Maryam explained on Insiders.
Pausing its implementation could be seen as an attempt to prevent further protests. “The more the regime tries to suppress women, the more they push back,” Maryam said. “Many religious women, who originally chose to wear hijab voluntarily, have turned against the mandatory nature of it due to the state’s coercive measures.”
And it is not just women who oppose stricter dress code laws. “Unlike in the past, women are not standing alone in this struggle – men are standing shoulder to shoulder with them in civil resistance and even more direct forms of activism,” Maryam explained. “The people of Iran – both men and women – are no longer willing to settle for minimal changes or superficial reforms. They seek fundamental transformations.”
Results from a recent SAT-7 PARS survey of Insiders’ viewers paint a similar picture:
One respondent commented: “In Christianity, there is complete freedom, but since we live in Iran, there is no freedom for women at all, especially for Christian women.”
Read one Christian woman’s experience of navigating Iran’s strict dress code and living out her faith under pressure here.
Despite such widespread opposition to the Hijab Law and its delayed implementation, Maryam noted that “even before the official enforcement, local authorities have already started implementing it in some areas as a kind of trial run. Fines are being issued, and actions are being taken against women who do not comply.”
A UN report released this month said that the Iranian government is using “state-sponsored vigilantism” to uphold hijab compliance, encouraging citizens to use specialist phone apps to report violations. Drones, security cameras, and facial recognition are also being used to identify lawbreakers in public places.2
Maryam believes this will have a fragmenting effect on society: “The government effectively pits citizens against one another. For example, store owners know that if they fail to enforce hijab compliance, their shops might be shut down. Taxi drivers understand that if they do not warn or refuse service to unveiled passengers, they could face fines… When workplaces, offices, and public spaces are pressured to monitor and report women who do not comply, the result is a gradual exclusion of women from society.”
Insiders raises awareness of key issues from a Christian perspective. Maryam emphasizes: “A truly just system is one where people have the freedom to practice their faith – or lack thereof – without government enforcement. The key is respecting the principle of freedom of choice, meaning that every individual should have the right to choose, including their own attire. This is the most crucial point.”
Sources
1 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c0mv83m4z7vo
2 Iran using drones and phone apps to monitor strict dress code for women – BBC News
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