By Pishtaz | 2023-09-25

In a sermon delivered September 22, outspoken Sunni cleric Abdol-Hamid Ismaeelzahi criticized the Iranian regime's mandatory hair coverage rules, amplifying the voices of Iranians opposed to "draconian" new legislation.

The cleric, known as Molavi Abdolhamid, leads Friday prayers in the minority-dominated city of Zahedan, where the majority Sunni Baluch population has been protesting every week after Friday prayers.

There should have been no need to present a complicated bill to the Majles (Iranian parliament) or to police women, Abdolhamid said in his sermon, which followed the passage in the Majles of a bill that addresses women's coverage.

Parts of the "Bill to Support Families by Promoting the Culture of Chastity and Coverage" passed in the Majles in August, and other parts on September 20.

The initial 15-article bill, presented on June 13, did not pass -- although most Majles representatives are hardliners. It was revised and sent back for a vote in August, this time with 72 articles.

Majles representatives passed the revised bill for a trial period of three years.

Iranian forces have used "unlawful lethal force" on protesters in Zahedan, according to Human Rights Watch, citing a September 30, 2022, incident known as "Bloody Friday" in which several dozen were killed and wounded.

Economic woes, discrimination and the regime's longtime negligence have been the main reasons for the protests, with Molavi Abdolhamid regularly denouncing the killing of Mahsa Amini in "morality police" custody.

The death of Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish Iranian on September 16, 2022, sparked a widespread movement dubbed "Women, Life, Freedom."

Heavy penalties

The long and complex new "chastity and coverage" bill strongly emphasizes "culture-building," making changes based on "appropriate Islamic coverage" and complete adherence to state-mandated coverage on television programs.

It also includes the monitoring of dolls and other children's toys.

Parts of the bill are to be reviewed and potentially revised each year.

The bill will be submitted to the Guardian Council next, where it is likely to be approved, after which it would only need to be endorsed by the president to officially make it a law.

It then will be sent to all ministries for enforcement, based on their norms and regulations.

The new bill stipulates that women who fail to wear a headscarf or appropriate clothing, "in cooperation with foreign or hostile governments, media, groups or organizations," could be punished with a 5- to 10-year prison sentence.

In addition to long jail sentences and heavy fines, those found in breach could be flogged and punished with travel restrictions.

The state's response to women appearing bareheaded in public -- especially female celebrities in the film sector -- has been uneven.

Some have not been reprimanded or detained; some have been arrested and released on bail; while others have been told they are no longer allowed to work or have been banned from leaving the country.

Although the general sentiment is against state-mandated coverage, some women believe change is rooted in unity, meaning those who are non-religious should come together with religious women who cover their hair voluntarily.

In one example of this approach, a video posted on social media shows two young women chanting, "Let's start a revolution; with or without headscarves!" implying the consensus needed for a major anti-establishment movement.

'Repressive and demeaning'

On September 22, two days after the Majles passed the new coverage bill, the United Nations (UN) called on Iranian officials to eliminate the so-called "Bill to Support Families by Promoting the Culture of Chastity and Coverage."

The UN Human Rights Office said it deeply regretted the passage of the bill, and described it as "repressive and demeaning."

It "vastly increases jail terms and provides for crushing fines on women and girls who do not obey the compulsory dress code," rights office spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani said in Geneva.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk "reiterates that this draconian bill flagrantly flies in the face of international law, and that it must be shelved," Shamdasani said.

"The bill is unfortunately worse than what we had before," she added.

"Unfortunately, we haven't seen much progress in spite of the outpouring of outrage following the killing of Mahsa Amini," she said.

"The situation has not improved with regards to the rights of women in Iran," Shamdasani said. "Women and girls must not be treated as second class citizens."

"The authorities have a duty to respect, protect and fulfill, equally, the rights of all Iranians," she said.