Alirza Quluncu, Voice of America, February 28, 2024
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| Turkan Bozkurt |
The "Hijab and Chastity" project, which has been a hot topic in Iran for months, has not yet completed its legalization process. However, various institutions in the Islamic Republic that control women's dress and lifestyle continue to implement aggressive policies under this initiative.
In an interview with Voice of America, feminist activist Turkan Bozkurt stated that the Iranian government is trying to shift the issue of mandatory hijab from a government matter to a personal responsibility of the citizens.
Turkan Bozkurt emphasizes that the issue of mandatory hijab will not be resolved in Iran until the Islamic Republic government is gone.
"With the hijab issue, the regime wants to protect the Islamic Republic under its name. It uses the hijab issue as a brand, a slogan against the West. For the Iranian government, giving up on the hijab issue is like giving up on its own essence. Therefore, I do not believe the hijab issue will be resolved until this regime is gone," says the feminist activist.
Since last year, the Islamic Republic has begun implementing more aggressive policies to strengthen its control over hijab regulations. The government seals off commercial establishments, claiming that customers have not complied with the rules. Iranian police use cameras to identify women passengers not covering their heads in cars, sending them SMS warnings and impounding their vehicles. The government also demands that citizens verbally warn women who violate the hijab rules, in line with the mission of "enjoining good and forbidding evil" (Amr bil ma'ruf wa nahy anil munkar).
Turkan Bozkurt says that the government is trying to bring the problem into the society itself with these policies:
"The Iranian government changes the level of the problem. It removes it from being a government issue and places the responsibility on the citizens. We must also be honest about Iranian society. Of course, many believe what is happening is terrible and against human rights. But there are also people who do not think this way. There is a group that wants this government and the status quo to remain."
Turkan Bozkurt states that the steps taken under the "Hijab and Chastity" project will lead to the breakdown or weakening of social unity and social health.
According to her, "When people see themselves in constant danger or in an uneasy environment, it affects their mental well-being. It leads to the disruption or reduction of social unity. Especially considering that Iranian society itself is made up of different components. When people are divided and do not trust each other, the likelihood of working together for the common good of society decreases. Social health and social activity diminish."
Bozkurt also points out that the detection of women without hijab by police cameras or the possibility of receiving verbal warnings from certain individuals in public spaces about their dress code is an example of mass surveillance, a policy also applied in other totalitarian states like China.
She adds, "This is something to be afraid of—people always have to think, whether on the street, in a car, when going to a café or even when going to buy medicine—that they are under surveillance, they are under control. This reminds me of the atmosphere in George Orwell's 1984."
Link to the original interview in Turkish on the Azerbaijani section of Voice of America:
Türkan Bozqurt: İranda hicaba nəzarət üçün atılan addımlar sosial birliyin pozulmasına səbəb olar