Iranian women defy efforts by hardliners to enforce wearing of hijab

A cultural fault line in Iran has re-emerged in recent months amid the turmoil of war and the revamping of the country’s hardline leadership: how and whether to enforce the wearing of the hijab by women.

At the height of the conflict with the United States this year, women without the headscarf were often seen at pro-government gatherings and in state media. The government and internal security forces had bigger issues to deal with. In one video an unveiled woman carrying an Iranian flag said her husband was in the military, and that she was proud of him. But in recent weeks, the clamor for restoring a hard line on what conservative clerics and politicians call “public nudity” has grown. Many Iranian women are openly flouting the rule – and authorities seem wary of launching a crackdown, for now. The regime appears to have more pressing priorities – presenting the conflict with the United States as an existential struggle, managing the deep economic fall-out and reorganizing the security apparatus under the leadership of Mojtaba Khamenei. Still, state media have been highlighting stories about cafes and other businesses being forced to close for failing to enforce rules on clothing. A CNN tally of articles in Iranian media at the end of last month found examples in half a dozen cities, including Tehran. Four years ago, the protest movement “Woman Life Freedom” ignited after the death in police custody of Mahsa Amini, a young woman who had been detained on accusations she was improperly dressed. It was brutally suppressed.