Compulsory hijab in Iran
Islamic dress code and custom / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Hijab in Iran, the traditional head covering worn by Muslim women for modesty for centuries, have been practiced as a compulsion supported by law in Iran after the 1979 revolution.[2] In the 1920s, a few women started to appear unveiled. Under Reza Shah, it was discouraged and then banned in 1936 for five years. Under Reza Shah's successor, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, hijab was considered "backward" and rarely worn by upper and middle-class people. Consequently, it became a symbol of opposition to the shah in 1970s, and was worn by women (educated, middle and upper class) who previously would have been unveiled.
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After the 1979 Iranian Revolution and overthrow of the Pahlavi dynasty, veiling again was encouraged, and in 1981 the covering of hair and wearing of loose-fitting clothing covering all but hands and face was made legally mandatory for women.[3][4] Since the death of Mahsa Amini in 2022, and subsequent protests that followed, hijab has again become a political symbol, this time of opposition to the Islamic Republic, and defiance of the law by younger women has been observed "in towns and cities" and been called "too widespread to contain and too pervasive to reverse".[5] As of April 2023, however, the Islamic Republic has vowed to enforce the "divine decree" of the hijab.[6]