Iran’s hijab announcement is a decoy

Read the full op-ed in The Washington Times.

Foreign coverage of Iran often collapses a national struggle for liberation into a single symbol: the mandatory hijab. A few clips from Tehran show unveiled women, and headlines rush to declare a thaw. Yet when Western audiences hear that the Islamic republic is “done” enforcing compulsory hijab, they hear a convenient narrative for diplomats and apologists eager to claim progress without costs. They are hearing a lie planned by the regime in Tehran , executed by propagandists in the West and gobbled up by those who look for any excuse to cut this criminal regime a break. Start with the law: The compulsory hijab remains on the books. Article 638 of the Islamic Penal Code still criminalizes appearing in public without a headscarf, carrying penalties of fines or jail. The parliament’s recent “chastity and hijab” initiative was designed to raise penalties and wire the bureaucracy for mass monitoring. Even as sections stalled, authorities moved ahead with “smart” enforcement via cameras, plate readers and administrative punishments...

Read the full op-ed here.