In 1935, Reza Shah of Iran banned women from wearing Islamic veils. The ban met with protest. After more than 80 years today women in Iran are again protesting but this time not in favor of the hijab but rather against it. 

image source: time.com

Iranian women recently participated in an anti-hijab campaign across the country, where they defied the Islamic Republic's strict hijab rules by posting videos of themselves publicly removing their veils. They protested on 12 July which Iran celebrates as the National Day of Hijab and Chastity.

During protest men too had been found showing their solidarity as Iranian women remove their headscarves to protest against the hijab. 

As the country's Islamic rulers press down on "immoral behavior" with the help of the so-called "morality police", Iranian rights groups have urged women to openly remove their veils and breach the Islamic dress code. (source: click here) 

Iranian Government's Response to Protest

Morality police of Iran has arrested women, with allegations that certain authorities have asked that public transportation personnel, as well as staff  in government officers, and banks overlook so-called "bad-hijab" ladies. Their morality police have been observing medical facilities and educational institutes in numerous Iranian cities to make sure women are covering their heads. 

Iranian authorities recently detained several teenage girls and others for not donning hijabs at a skateboarding competition in Shiraz, a city in southern Iran. (source: click here) 

A Little Bit History About National Day of Hijab and Chastity

  • Iran has had a strict hijab rule since the Islamic Revolution of 1979. Women and girls above the age of 9 must wear a head cover in public.
  • Every year, July 12 is observed as the National Day of the Hijab and Chastity in Iran to promote the veils.
  • The day was chosen as hijab and chastity day to commemorate protests that took place in 1935 in Mashhad after then ruler of Iran Reza Shah banned women from wearing Islamic Veils.
  • The current government has taken a stricter stance toward the hijab rules.