The Iranian authorities have summoned the organizers of a marathon race in Shiraz after a number of women ran without hijab, prompting a judicial investigation. The Judiciary of Iran’s Fars Province has filed a case after the marathon race was held on Friday in the central streets of the city of Shiraz. Mustafa Bahraini, Prosecutor General of the southern province said on Saturday that the director and organizers have been summoned to provide an explanation for this “deconstructive” action.
This incident comes at a time when many Iranian women are openly challenging the country’s strict dress code. Some women spectators in the street also defied the edict to wear hijab. The Islamic Republic is now facing the phenomenon of “hijablessness” as a form of civil disobedience.
Since the death of Mahsa Amini in the custody of morality police in September 2022, and the protests that engulfed the country for months, many women have discarded their headscarves altogether and vowed never to wear them again. This defiance of the country’s dress code is a clear indication of the growing disillusionment of Iranian women with the regime.
The Iranian authorities have been cracking down on women who refuse to wear hijab. Only five months after the Islamic Revolution of 1979, then leader of Iran Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini banned women from appearing without a veil in government offices. The ban gradually spread to the entire society within the next two years. Iran’s women eventually gave into covering their hair, even if partially, with headscarves and shawls and wearing tunics and trousers that could be tight-fitting and/or colorful. The hardline religious and political establishment considered this level of compliance faulty and called these women “bad-hijab”.The current trend of “hijablessness” among Iranian women is seen as a major challenge to the regime’s authority. The Iranian authorities are struggling to maintain the dress code as a symbol of their legitimacy. However, the defiance of Iranian women is growing stronger, and it remains to be seen how the Iranian government will respond to this latest challenge to their authority.
In conclusion, this incident highlights the ongoing struggle between the Iranian regime and its people, particularly women, over the issue of the hijab. The defiance of Iranian women is a clear indication of the growing frustration and disillusionment with the regime’s strict dress code. This is a complex issue, and it remains to be seen how the Iranian government will respond to this latest challenge to their authority.
