Ali Larijani, a former parliamentary speaker and adviser to Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, is the first senior political person to publicly ask for a reconsideration of the government’s assault on women and girls who do not comply with the Islamic dress code.
Following the death of Mahsa Amini in detention, a senior Iranian official has questioned the country’s harsh enforcement of its compulsory hijab rules.
In an interview with the Iranian newspaper Ettela’at, Ali Larijani, 65, an adviser to Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and a former parliamentary speaker, warned that a “strict approach” to the widespread protests that have followed her death “is not the cure.”
The 22-year-old passed away while in the custody of Iran’s morality police last month, after allegedly violating the country’s severe dress code.
Mr. Larijani is the first prominent political person to advocate for a reconsideration of the government’s crackdown on women and girls who do not adhere to the Islamic dress code.
In an apparent departure from the regime’s unyielding stance, he stated in the interview, “The hijab has a cultural solution; it does not require decrees or referendums.”
“I appreciate the services of the police force and Basij [parliamentary militia], but they should not be responsible for promoting the hijab.
“When a cultural issue becomes pervasive, a strict response to it is not the solution.
“The individuals and youth who enter the street are our children. In a family, if a child commits a crime, the parents attempt to bring him back to the proper path; nevertheless, society requires more tolerance.”
During the reign of the previous Shah, before the 1979 Iranian Revolution, the hijab was not endorsed by the state, but many women freely donned it.
Mr. Larijani stated, “Islamic government entails that individuals are responsible for their issues. Similarly, in terms of social justice. If the people handle their affairs, their skills will thrive.”
He said, “The difficulty is that if young people in a society do not correctly execute one of the sharia’s laws from an intellectual and social standpoint, this is not entirely bad.”
Ms. Amini, an Iranian Kurd, was arrested on 13 September in Tehran for wearing “inappropriate dress” and died three days later.
The Iranian government argues that she was not abused, but her family claims that her body revealed evidence of beating.
Her tragedy has prompted young women to cut their hair and proudly rip off and wave their headscarves, igniting protests that have rapidly swept across the nation and around the world, including London.
The government’s response to the rallies, which have demanded the fall of the Iranian regime, has included beatings, arrests, and the killing of people.
According to human rights organizations, at least 201 people have been killed in Iran, along with hundreds who have been injured and others who have been jailed by security forces.
According to reports, at least twenty members of the security forces have been killed.
