WOULD YOU CARE TO EXPLAIN, MADAM?

People change. They become ill, gain weight, lose weight, become poorer, richer, lose their loved ones, just grow older.  And they develop mechanisms to cope with these changes: sometimes they become more religious, sometimes less so, sometimes they need a psychiatrist.

So now, I observe and hear amongst my acquaintance women who have quietly decided they no longer want to cover their hair. One day, we see them all wrapped up, and the next day, lo and behold, their hair is all over the place. No lightening, no thunder. Just an embarrassed glance.

Their private decision, of course.  No one should be required to explain their beliefs or choices. So strong our social inhibitions that I myself would rather die than go up to one of these women, my compatriots, and say, hey! Congratulations! I see you no longer decided to wear the scarf! Why? You don’t think men will be overcome by lust at the sight of your hair anymore? You don’t think it’s a holy commandment, writ in the holy book? Can you explain, please? Were you mistaken before? How did you realise veiling is ridiculous? How did you realise that our Constitution and the holy book had got it all wrong, and women could indeed go about their daily affairs with their hair uncovered, without anything terrible happening?

No, I can’t do it.

And yet, and yet. How private is the matter of women’s veiling?

Every day, millions of my female compatriots are forced,  against their will, at the pain of prosecution and barbaric torture, to wrap up their hair and bodies when they go out in public in Iran.

So it is not a private matter. Those who say religion is a private issue are deceiving themselves, at least about this religion, from that particular country. Religion is a matter of state policy and thuggery. Women are veiled, by law.

So if a woman chooses to remove her veil, then some explanations, some openness would be appreciated. Let’s stop pretending we didn’t notice. No need for embarrasment, or hostility. But let’s ask questions, and get some answers. Let the debate begin.

Tags: Iranian culture, Iranian society, Iranian women, Iranians, Islam, religion, religious people, treatment of women, women