The women’s movement, led by the torch of unveiled women’s struggles, continues to advance resolutely. Protests against the mandatory hijab law, which is set to be communicated to the Medicalan cabinet for implementation on Friday, December 13th, are expanding daily. However, this is not a new issue; the regime’s forces have long enforced this law even when it was just a bill. The parliament’s move to codify it appears to be an attempt to resurrect a dead issue. Yet, their desperate actions have only deepened divisions within the government and strengthened societal opposition.
Despite the insistence of the heads of the hollow parliament and the corrupt judiciary that the law must be enforced, the cabinet, led by Medicalan, has raised criticisms of the parliamentary resolution. The Vice President admitted in a televised interview that parts of the law are undoubtedly unenforceable and called for its amendment. However, there are proponents of the law within the government itself, and as disputes escalate and become public, the cabinet’s weakness becomes more apparent. Even the regime’s reformists have voiced their disagreements through media channels.
On the societal level, opposition to this law is intense and radical. Journalists, social movement activists, and artists have openly expressed their disapproval. Over 140 journalists issued a statement on Friday, December 6th, condemning the hijab and chastity law as “inhumane” and a “gross violation of fundamental rights,” declaring their resolute opposition to its enforcement. On Thursday, December 5th, 111 Iranian filmmakers jointly condemned the law in a statement, describing it as a “declaration of all-out war against the people of Iran.” They emphasized that the law, which even targets children, constitutes a blatant violation of human rights and an insult to Iranian women and people. On Monday, December 2nd, ten political activists warned in a statement about the consequences of implementing the hijab law, asserting that it violates citizens’ rights and freedoms.
The women’s movement, unfolding against the backdrop of the regime’s severe crisis in various domains, has found resonance in the justice-seeking movement, forcing regime agents to tread carefully in response to protests. For example, the parents of Jina Hooman Abdollahi, a victim of the revolutionary uprising, who had been denied access to their son’s grave for months, visited his resting place on Thursday, December 5th. Accompanied by a significant number of justice-seeking families and activists in Sanandaj, they marched toward the cemetery chanting “Woman, Life, Freedom.” There, Hooman’s parents, Arezoo and Farshid, delivered speeches condemning the Islamic Republic and its agents as the murderers of their son and other revolutionaries. They declared that the Jina movement would eventually fulfill the aspirations of the martyrs for freedom and justice. Arezoo, in her remarks, condemned the death sentences of Varisha Moradi and Pakhshan Azizi, urging protesters to strengthen their unity to ensure the cancellation of executions.
On December 5th, justice-seeking families gathered at the grave of Jina Shadan Ahmadi in Dehgolan to honor all the fallen by laying flowers. Regime agents, fearful of intervening, resorted to covertly filming the event. On the same day, Azar Kamaliya Sajadian, the mourning mother of Mohammad Hassan Torkman, another victim of the Jina uprising, criticized the imposition of mandatory hijab under the guise of promoting virtue in an Instagram post. She declared: “I reject the notion of promoting virtue in this land of corruption.” She added that in a country where its highest officials engage in theft, plunder, murder, and oppression, she not only rejects such notions but would take decisive action against anyone attempting to enforce them on her daughters.
On December 4th, the family of Yahya Rahimi, a worker and another victim of the Jina uprising, visited his grave and adorned it with flowers. Similarly, on December 2nd, the family of Shahow Khazri, a freedom fighter in Mahabad, and the family of Sepehr Azimi in Karaj, honored their loved ones with floral tributes.
The women’s movement and scenes like these have energized protests, reflecting the regime’s weakening grip. For instance, the gatherings of retirees have become more united and politically charged. Recently, retirees from the military, civil, and social security sectors in Kermanshah protested the regime’s chastity and hijab bill, chanting slogans such as “Optional hijab is the right of Iranian women.” They also highlighted widespread government corruption and demanded the release of imprisoned teachers and workers. Undoubtedly, the continuation of such struggles can lead to a glorious popular revolution, one that will determine the fate of the capitalist Islamic government and ensure the establishment of a council-based, democratic system thereafter.
