The mandatory hijab law of Iran’s regime, nearing its enforcement, has ignited intense disputes among factions and leaders of the clerical regime, fueling widespread public outrage and discontent.
On December 1, Maryam Rajavi, the president-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), declared, “The clerical regime’s misogynistic ‘Chastity and Hijab’ law is criminal and inhumane and is strongly condemned. Through this oppressive law and by employing repressive forces, including the State Security Force, the Ministry of Intelligence, and the IRGC Intelligence, Khamenei seeks to subjugate society—particularly women, who are at the forefront of the struggle against religious fascism. Neither daily executions nor misogynistic laws will remedy this regime’s predicament. Once again, I reiterate: ‘No to compulsory hijab, no to compulsory religion, and no to compulsory governance.’ This declaration reflects the unyielding determination of all the people of Iran to overthrow the clerical regime.”
The clerical regime’s misogynistic “Chastity and Hijab” law is criminal and inhumane and is strongly condemned. Through this oppressive law and by employing repressive forces, including the State Security Force, the Ministry of Intelligence, and the IRGC Intelligence, Khamenei…
— Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) December 1, 2024
Indeed, the essence of the social and political crisis surrounding this law—disguised under the terms “chastity” and “hijab”—is succinctly captured in the three phrases: “No to compulsory hijab, no to compulsory religion, and no to compulsory governance.”
The truth is that the regime does not genuinely care about chastity, hijab, religion, or Islam. Their sole priority is the survival of their regime at any cost. Regime founder Ruhollah Khomeini expressed this in the phrase, “Preserving the system is the foremost duty.” He put this principle into practice through a written decree ordering the massacre and genocide of steadfast PMOI members—an act even his ten-year deputy, Hossein-Ali Montazeri, condemned as “the greatest crime.”
The current statements by regime leaders regarding the mandatory hijab law unmistakably expose their preoccupation with preserving their rule.
On December 2, Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje’i, head of the judiciary, connected the implementation of the mandatory hijab law to the regime’s security during a session of the Majlis (parliament), stating, “The enacted law must be announced and enforced… we must recognize the significance of security.” In the same session, Majlis speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf described the law as integral to the regime’s identity, stressing the need for its announcement and enforcement.
Indeed, the so-called “chastity and hijab” law is fundamentally a “security issue” for this regime, bearing no connection to “religious law” or “legislation.” For the regime’s ideological followers, notions like chastity, hijab, religion, and Islam are mere instruments for consolidating their rule—a reality that the weary society has deeply grasped and voiced in protests with slogans such as “They use Islam as a tool to oppress the people” and “Hussein, Hussein is their chant; lies and theft are their deeds.”
It is a known fact that tens of thousands female PMOI members, who were all Muslim and wore veils, were tortured and executed under this regime—a crime without precedent in Islamic history. Also known is that Khomeini ordered the torture, rape, and execution of Muslim girls to ensure the survival of his regime.
Here, the deceitful facade of figures like the regime’s new president Masoud Pezeshkian and all others complicit in the regime’s crimes to maintain its rule is laid bare. These individuals incessantly praise Khomeini and Khamenei while promoting the anti-Iranian policies of the regime.
The Iranian people see through these hypocrites and fully understand that the statements by hardliners or so-called “reformists” regarding any clause of the disgraceful mandatory hijab law are mere desperate attempts by the regime to cling to power and quell their fear of the people’s rising anger.
The leaders of the regime, floundering amidst internal and external crises and divided over the enforcement of “mandatory hijab,” highlight the growing reality that, for the people, the time to rise and overthrow the “compulsory government” has arrived.