Tehran (March 01, 2018): The Vice President of Iran for women´s affairs Massoumeh Ebtekar has opposed using “force” to ensure women wear the hijab, after a spate of protests stirred debate over the mandatory headscarf.
Massoumeh Ebtekar told a press conference in Tehran that every country has a dress code: “There is no city in the world where you can walk naked in the streets and you won´t be approached by a particular regulatory body.”
She said Iran´s hijab laws, which require women to wear a headscarf and long coat, as well as banning shorts for men were a “social regulation”.
“Our position is that it´s a regulation but the use of force, we don´t go along with that type of enforcement,” she said.
“That is contrary to the basic principles and philosophy that the government of (President Hassan) Rouhani follows.”
Her comments follow a string of protests, mostly in Tehran, in which more than a dozen woman have stood in main thoroughfares without their headscarves.
The women risk prison sentences of up to two months for not wearing the headscarf, but up to 10 years if they are found to be encouraging others.
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