On the second anniversary of Mahsa Amini’s death, Iran’s new president, Masoud Pezeshkian, pledged that the country’s morality police would no longer harass women over the mandatory hijab.
Iranian strict Islamic code forbids women to be seen in public places without hair and facial covering. But in 2022, a lady, Mahsa Amini defied the long-standing tradition and was arrested by the morality police. She subsequently died in custody on September 16, 2022.
The monthslong protests that erupted following Amini’s death, first started with chants of “Women, Life, Freedom,” then nearly snowballed into a revolution. A security crackdown that quelled the uprising led to more than 500 deaths and 22,000 arrests.
President Pezeshkian, who came to power after a helicopter crash killed hard-line predecessor, President Ebrahim Raisi in May, ran for presidential elections in July on the promise of reforms.
During his press conference on Tuesday, female reporters were notably allowed to wear loose headscarves, signaling a shift from previous rigid dress code enforcement at public events. The president’s comments were broadcast live, and a clip featuring his interaction with a female journalist without hijab went viral, symbolizing hope for change.
Pezeshkian’s remarks however may not douse international concerns about Iran’s treatment of women, particularly since after Amini’s arrest and death.
The new reformist president still has to convince the rest of Iran’s theocratic regime, under the ultimate control of Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. United Nations recently warned that repressive measures against women remain intact in Iran, with increased surveillance and severe penalties, including the use of the death penalty against activists.
However, as more women in Iran defy the hijab law and the remarks of President Pezeshkian signal a shift towards a more lenient attitude, Iranian women may at last be breaking free from the religious and cultural obligations in force since the Islamic revolution of 1979.
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