Keystone
The Iranian president has warned that violent enforcement of the headscarf law could alienate people in the country from Islam. “Those who use violence provoke resistance, which could even drive those affected away from the religion,” said Massud Peseschkian at a meeting with representatives of the press in the capital Tehran. The morality police should therefore bear in mind that repression in the implementation of this law would cause the population to “turn away from Islam”.
According to the news portal “Entekhab”, the president strictly rejected the use of force to enforce Islamic regulations, including the compulsory wearing of headscarves. As a devout Muslim, he is in favor of the obligation, but “not with a fight”. Instead, he would focus on educational work and dialog.
Law only on paper
According to observers, the sometimes brutal action taken by the morality police against “un-Islamic” clothing on women has already led to a turning away from Islamic values and rules, especially among young people.
Islamic hardliners recently wanted to counteract this with even stricter punishments: last year, they passed a controversial headscarf law in parliament, under which women could face heavy fines, the withdrawal of public services and even prison sentences for repeat offenses.
The law was originally due to come into force in December last year, but was postponed due to massive protests at home and abroad. This year, the influential Security Council has also halted the implementation of the controversial law for the time being – also for fear of possible renewed protests like those that took place in 2022 during the women’s movement.
Critics of the law include President Peseshkian, who is considered a moderate. The hardliners in parliament, on the other hand, are pushing for the law to come into force, arguing that they want to preserve Islamic values in the country and prevent a “Western cultural invasion”. The headscarf requirement is considered one of the country’s ideological pillars. According to Islamic regulations, women in Iran are obliged to wear a long jacket and a headscarf to cover their body contours and hair.