A cleric in Iran ‘opposes the use of violence to impose the hijab’
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Salma Hossein
- . January 28, 2023
- . Update: January 28, 2023 5:31 pm
A well-known Iranian cleric named Nasser Makarem has spoken out against employing violence to force women to wear the hijab.
Since the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old ethnic Kurd, on September 16 as a result of her incarceration for allegedly breaking the regime’s clothing code for women, there have been widespread demonstrations throughout Iran.
Because hundreds of people have died during the protests, including many members of the security forces, authorities frequently refer to them as “riots.”
According to prominent preacher Makarem, “violence and coercion are not successful in the hijab issue.”
“The president and ministers should know that they are in a severe situation; it is true that the enemy is highly active, but not all roads are closed,” he was reported as saying by the IRNA news agency.
“The hijab issue is currently associated with political issues, and some argue that if the veil can be removed, the system of the regime will be undermined,” the cleric stated.
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Ezzatollah Zarghami, Iran’s minister of tourism and cultural heritage, has earlier urged for more understanding toward women who choose not to wear the required headscarves.
However, earlier this month, Iran’s top prosecutor urged police to “firmly punish any hijab offenders.”
Iran accuses its foreign adversaries, particularly the US and Israel, of inciting the demonstrations that broke out following Amini’s passing while in the care of the nation’s morality police.
The cleric’s remarks came at the same time as Israeli President Isaac Herzog urged NATO to take a more confrontational attitude toward Iran due to Tehran’s provision of drones to Russia for its fight in Ukraine.
Herzog said, “The issue there reaches beyond the limits of Ukraine, with the Iranian menace now at Europe’s doorstep,” during a visit to NATO’s headquarters in Brussels.
“The deception of separation is no longer valid. In addition to effective military deterrence, NATO must take the toughest possible action against the Iranian government through economic, legal, and political sanctions.
On Thursday, the symbolic head of state gave the top NATO decision-making council its first briefing.
Herzog claims that “a dreadful war continues to put millions of people’s health and welfare in danger and cause unnecessary human suffering.”
Our thoughts are with the Ukrainian people as they protect their homes and their nation, he said.
The head of NATO, Jens Stoltenberg, asserted that he had discussed “our support for Ukraine” with Herzog.
He stated that the Ukrainian people were gallantly defending their country and that NATO friends and partners were supporting their right to self-defence.
The secretary general of NATO claimed that Herzog’s visit was proof of the alliance’s “deepening engagement” with Israel.
Herzog mentioned enhancing collaboration on energy resilience, space risks, drones, and cyber security.
He stated that a new collaboration agreement, which lengthens the duration of cooperation and broadens its scope, would be signed by the two parties “in only a couple of months.”
