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A Short History of the Mandatory Hijab

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 In the 16th century, the Safavid dynasty rose to power, and to centralize their power they began to convert Persian society to Shia Islam to replace the Sunni Islam majority. This was forced through heavy persecution. One aspect of this conversion was that the hijab became a standard part of women’s dress, at least in urban areas, though there was a diverse array of stylings.
                  During the Qajar dynasty, the hijab was also enforced, as a continuation of the formerly Safavid Shia identity. These were again quite diverse, and took a lot of inspiration from European styles. In the late 19th century, an economic crisis meant the poorest of religious urban women could not afford a hijab, and were therefore secluded in their home or wore chador
                  In the 1920s, some women began to appear in public unveiled, and men and women began to mix in some settings. In December of 1925, Reza Shah, the first of the Pahlavi dynasty, rose to power. Reza Shah believed in the “westernized woman” and opposed religious clerics. Slowly, he began to loosen the hold hijab had over Iranian women. Women received protections on the street if they were not wearing hijab, his wife was seen wearing less covering headscarves. In 1933, female teachers were encouraged to unveil, and students in 1935. Female students could now study alongside men. This was all done gradually so as not to cause unrest.
                  On January, 1936, Reza Shah issued the کشف حجاب (Kashf-e hijab), which translates to “unveiling”. Reza Shah was seen with his wife and two daughters unveiled and in western modern clothes at a graduation ceremony. This was generally seen as a win in the Iranian women’s movement, and a outrage in religious conservative groups. Afterwards, photos were published and unveiling was strictly enforced. Any women seen wearing a veil would have it physically removed by the police. For five years, many traditional religious women remained in their homes to avoid having to remove their veil, until in 1941 Reza Shah was deposed.
                  After his father was deposed, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the son, rose to power. The kashf-e hijab was relaxed, and it was no longer an offense to veil in public. It was however still seen as a backward idea of the oppressed woman or the lower class. Those that chose to veil received harsh criticism, and were often barred from public spaces and prevented from social mobility.
                  Leading up to the Islamic Revolution of 1979, discontentment with the Pahlavi modernization movement and the Pahlavi rule in general began to manifest as more woman beginning to publicly veil. It was a symbol of solidarity with the Iranian people, and rejection of “westoxication”. Thousands of veiled women were active in anti-shah protests.
                  Post Islamic-revolution, mandatory hijab became law, denying past claims that he would not control women’s dress codes. Women who were not deeply religious or traditional but had worn the hijab in the protests against the shah were taken aback, and almost immediately began to protest against it as well. This resulted in a temporary retraction of mandatory veiling. However, Islamification continued, and the hijab remains mandatory, which strict consequences, even today.

-KC

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