11 May 2010

The Iranian Regime's Efforts to Enforce the Wearing of the Hijab

Recently, the Iranian regime has expressed its concern over the rising trend among Iranian women of appearing in public without a hijab or with their hijab worn carelessly. Senior officials and regime propagandists have said that such immodest dress is to blame for moral decay and corruption, disease, and even earthquakes, claiming it threatens the regime's very existence.

It was reported that Supreme Leader 'Ali Khamenei himself issued an order to address the problem. Soon afterwards, Interior Minister Mustafa Mohammad Najjar announced the launching of the "Modesty and Hijab Campaign," to be implemented by Iran's various government ministries.

Maryam Mojtahed-Zadeh, who heads the Center for Women and Family Affairs in the President's Office, said that enforcement of the new campaign might call for the use of force and the renewal of the so-called "information patrols. [MEMRI] Read more [via Butterflies and Wheels]