Iranian Sunni Cleric Denounces “Coercive Measures” against Women without Hijab

Iran’s most prominent Sunni cleric criticized the Islamic Republic’s brutal enforcement of mandatory veiling, saying in his Friday sermon that the vicious tactics used to force women and girls into covering their hair in public are fueling civil disobedience.

Molavi Abdulhamid, the Friday prayer leader of Zahedan, made the comments on July 21, as residents of the restive south-eastern city returned to the streets for weekly protests against Iran’s clerical establishment.

In an act of defiance against the ideology and laws of the Islamic Republic, a growing number of women have appeared in public without hijab since nationwide protests erupted in September last year.

Some defiant women were arrested, summoned by the authorities and faced legal cases, while hundreds of small businesses and shopping malls were shut down for allegedly failing to enforce hijab rules on their customers. 

"A large portion of these women believe in wearing the hijab, but they are dissatisfied and angry, and they want to express their civil disobedience by removing the hijab," Molavi, a key dissenting voice inside Iran since the outbreak of last year’s protests, said in his July 21 sermon. 

"If we want the hijab to be respected, imprisoning, detaining and beating will not achieve that goal," the 76-year-old outspoken cleric added. "Even if it appears to work, it will only be temporary.”

In remarks posted on his Twitter page last week, Molavi said that "coercive measures like compelling women to wear hijab and shutting down businesses have yielded no positive results; instead, they have fueled more dissatisfaction and unrest."

He offered an alternative approach using tact, wisdom and respect for women's choices. 

Iranian authorities unleashed brutal force against the months-long widespread protests sparked by the September 2022 death in police custody of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini. 

More than 520 people were killed and over 19,000 were unlawfully detained, including nearly 100 journalists, activists say. Following biased trials, the judiciary has handed down stiff sentences, including the death penalty, to protesters.

In his latest sermon, Molavi reiterated his call for releasing political prisoners, especially women, as a step toward appeasement.

The cleric again called for fundamental economic, social and political changes, saying that domestic and foreign policies implemented by Iran’s Shia leadership over the past 44 years "have proven ineffective.”

He spoke about Iran's dire economic situation and ongoing union protests, saying that the severe crisis in which the country is plunged needs immediate attention from the authorities.

After prayers, protesters held a silent march through Zahedan for their 42st consecutive Friday of protests. 

Reports indicate that Molavi had asked demonstrators not to shout slogans during the month of Muharram, a period of grief for Shia across the world. 

Meanwhile, global internet monitoring organization NetBlocks reported a significant disruption to internet connectivity” in the city, saying that “the incident continues the cycle of internet shutdowns targeting weekly anti-government protests during Friday prayers.”

⚠️ Confirmed: Live network data show a significant disruption to internet connectivity in Zahedan, #Iran; the incident continues the cycle of internet shutdowns targeting weekly anti-government protests during Friday prayers 📉 pic.twitter.com/4lg5t3oCrx

— NetBlocks (@netblocks) July 21, 2023

Zahedan is the capital of Sistan and Baluchistan province, which is home to Iran's Sunni Baluch minority of up to 2 million people.