Following a strong backlash against the new compulsory hijab law, the clerical regime, fearing widespread uprisings following the fall of the Syrian dictator – an event that shook the regime to its core – was forced to interrupt the implementation and enforcement of the law.
On the evening of December 14, 2024, it was announced that the Secretariat of the Supreme National Security Council had officially requested the Mullahs’ Parliament to suspend the promulgation and implementation of the new law on compulsory hijab.
Alireza Salimi, a member of the Presidium of Parliament, confirmed the news, saying: “The secretariat of the Supreme National Security Council sent a letter to Parliament today, asking the government to present a new bill to remove the ambiguities of the law on hijab and chastity. (IRNA news agency, December 14, 2024)
Shahram Dabiri, the parliamentary deputy of Masosud Pezechkian, the regime’s president, also confirmed that the government had requested a temporary halt to the implementation of the law. He said: “We are preparing an amended bill: “We are preparing an amended bill which we will send to Parliament for further deliberations on this issue. (Mehr News Agency, December 14, 2024)
Ali Nikzad, vice-president of Parliament, raised the possibility of an agreement on the morning of Saturday December 14. Regarding the suspension of the law, he said: “Legally it cannot be done if there is no agreement. The president has spoken out on the matter, and the Supreme National Security Council has suggested that the law remain dormant for three months. If the deadline expires, the President of Parliament intends to promulgate it.” (Nournews, December 15, 2024)
Akbar Ranjbarzadeh, another member of parliament, remarked: “I know that the Supreme National Security Council intervened and stopped the process. As this council is the highest authority in matters of national security, it decided to take this action, and we follow all legal frameworks in the country. » (Khabar Online, December 14, 2024)
A representative close to the presidium of Parliament, speaking on condition of anonymity, said: “There was an agreement between the government and Parliament regarding the non-implementation of the law on hijab and chastity. » (Khabar Online, December 14, 2024)
Ali Rabiei, President Pezechkian’s advisor on social affairs, wrote on his X account (formerly Twitter) on the evening of December 14: “Thank you to the President for referring the implementation of this law to the National Security Council, account given its social repercussions. »
No legal basis for amendments to compulsory hijab law
Hassan Ali Akhlaghi-Amiri, a member of Parliament’s Cultural Committee, criticized Shahram Dabiri’s recent comments regarding the government’s request to suspend the law. He noted the following: “As previously reported, the hijab and chastity law was expected to be promulgated at the end of December. However, due to this week’s parliamentary recess, the law will be officially promulgated early next week, on December 21, by the 14th government. (Tabnak, December 15, 2024)
Meanwhile, Amir Hossein Bankipour, also a member of the Cultural Commission and one of the drafters of the law, rejected reports of the suspension of the law. He said: “No directive from the National Security Council to suspend the law has reached Parliament. The adoption and application of the law are being seriously considered.”
Bankipour added: “Once the Guardian Council approves a law, the government does not have the right to modify or withdraw it. Only after the law has been implemented can the government submit a new bill to the usual procedure. The Government’s current actions to stop the law represent a dangerous precedent that undermines both the rule of law and the authority of Parliament.” (Fararu, December 15, 2024)
The regime fears growing unrest
What is clear is that the clerical regime, after suffering multiple blows on the international stage – notably the serious setback suffered by Hezbollah in Lebanon and the collapse of Bashar al-Assad in Syria – finds itself surrounded by numerous economic and social crises and more dependent than ever on the repression of a discontented and rebellious society. The attempt to implement the new law on compulsory hijab and chastity after a year and a half highlights this reality, as the application of compulsory hijab has always served the regime as a tool to intensify repression in society at large .
However, fearing that social reactions to this criminal, inhumane and anti-Islamic law could trigger a more powerful uprising to overthrow the regime, the authorities have temporarily reversed course, at least until December 21. The internal conflict between the regime’s factions, which propose different approaches to preserve their power, is expected to continue unabated.
