New Hijab Compliance Clinic to Offer Treatment as Substitute Penalty for Women Who Defy the Compulsory Veil
After over forty years of the Iranian regime’s relentless efforts to enforce mandatory hijab on the country’s informed and freedom-loving women, which in recent years have led to the tragic deaths of several young women, the paralysis of another, and even the suicides of several high school girls, a new development has emerged: the inauguration of a clinic in Tehran to “quit Hijab removal.”
Two days ago, Iranian state media reported on a statement by Mehri Talebi Darestani, head of the Women and Family Office in Tehran’s Headquarters for Promoting Virtue. She announced the upcoming launch of the first Clinic in Tehran for quitting Hijab removal, which aims to provide a “scientific and psychological treatment for removing Hijab.”
Darestani explained that this center intends, through counseling and support, to assist young women who wear attire outside the mandatory dress code to return to a preferred form of attire according to the organization. (Etamad Daily, November 12, 2024)
Government spokeswoman not informed of the clinic
However, when the government spokesperson was asked about this development, she claimed no knowledge of the clinic. On Wednesday, November 13, Fatemeh Mohajerani responded to a journalist’s inquiry about whether the Headquarters for Promoting Virtue had coordinated this move with the government, saying, “I am not informed on this matter.”
Mohajerani’s lack of awareness is notable, given that many cabinet members, including the Ministers of Interior, Intelligence, Culture, Education, Science and Research, and Industry, are all members of the Headquarters for Promoting Virtue.
Public Outrage
The clinic’s launch has sparked widespread public debate. Bahar News commented, “For many, the term ‘Quitting Removal of Hijab Clinic’ likely evokes addiction treatment clinics, suggesting an intention to forcibly restrain and treat young women. Such policies are controversial from the outset, appearing out of touch with public understanding. What social or cultural crisis in the world has been resolved through such approaches that would give us hope these clinics could bring positive change?
“The question remains: what new programs will this clinic offer young women? Will it be anything different from what they already experienced in school through religious advisors and religious education? Many young people who now seek greater freedom in their dress were exposed to religious teachings throughout their school years, yet these lessons failed to persuade them. Why should anyone expect these clinics to be more effective? (Bahar News, November 13, 2024)
Another publication wrote, “The mention of a ‘Quitting Removal of Hijab Clinic’ presupposes that part of society—those without full hijab—is somehow sick, applying a label of ‘sick-mindedness’ that experience has shown yields no positive results and only brings further harm.” (Arman-e Melli, November 13, 2024)
Substitute Penalty for Hijab Violations
On Thursday, November 14, Mohammad Reza Mirshamsi, Deputy for Social Affairs at the Headquarters for Promoting Virtue and Prohibiting Vice, told the news site Didban-e Iran that “the Headquarters for Promoting Virtue does not view removal of Hijab with either a pathological or security-based perspective.” He added that the organization “seeks to frame removal of Hijab as a cultural and educational matter.”
Mirshamsi’s remarks contrast with the four-decade record of Iran’s clerical regime, which has repeatedly accused opponents of mandatory hijab of posing security threats to the state.
Mirshamsi cited the “assignment of substitute penalties” for individuals who engage in “illegal non-hijab practices” as one reason for establishing these clinics. He stated that the judiciary requested alternative penalties for those detained for Hijab violations. With the judiciary’s approval, attendance at these sessions will replace filing legal cases or imposing fines.
In describing what he termed “non-hijab recovery sessions,” Mirshamsi said, “Seats are arranged for women to sit and discuss their experiences with the damages of non-hijab.”
Under the Law for the Protection of Promoters of Virtue and Preventers of Vice, passed in 2015, the Headquarters for Promoting Virtue operates under the oversight of a temporary clerical authority in Tehran. Its current head is Kazem Sedighi, Tehran’s interim Friday prayer leader.
