Irans Public Spaces Changing As Women Increasingly Abandon The Hijab

Rahimi is part of a burgeoning group of women and girls who have chosen to publicly reject the head covering, a move that directly challenges the country's religious leadership.

Rahimi, in a conversation with RFE/RLs Radio Farda, expressed her delight at the sight of women dressing as they please and letting their hair down. "We havent experienced this in our country for many years, the 22-year-old journalist said, describing the noticeable shift in the streets of Tehran, Iran's capital. She added, Its beautiful when you dont have to wrap yourself up, especially when you have always resented it.

October 26, 2025

According to American Military News, the catalyst for this change was the anti-establishment protests that shook Iran in 2022, following the death of Mahsa Amini, a young woman who was arrested for violating the hijab law. Women were at the forefront of these protests, with some even removing and burning their hijabs. These demonstrations quickly escalated into the most significant threat to the authorities in decades, with some protesters demanding an end to clerical rule.

In response to the protests, the authorities initially attempted to reinforce the hijab law, which has been mandatory since shortly after the Islamic Revolution in 1979. Last year, hard-line lawmakers passed a controversial law to enforce the hijab, threatening violators with lengthy prison terms, hefty fines, and travel bans. However, Irans Supreme National Security Council, wary of inciting further unrest, suspended the implementation of the Hijab And Chastity law.

Mohammad Reza Bahonar, a member of Irans Expediency Council, which serves as an advisory body to the supreme leader, stated earlier this month that the new hijab law was unenforceable. His comments sparked outrage among hard-liners, but they also highlighted the reality in major cities where the authorities have eased their enforcement of the hijab, a fundamental pillar of the Islamic republic.

RFE/RLs Radio Farda spoke to 12 women across seven Iranian cities who confirmed that the number of women abandoning the Islamic headscarf has increased in recent years, both on the streets and in cafes and restaurants. Rahimi noted that women's rejection of the hijab has been a gradual process. Following the 2022 protests, women who chose not to wear a hijab would carry a headscarf in their bag or loosely around their shoulders as a precaution against the feared morality police, which enforced the hijab law.

Rahimi observed, Nowadays, women go out entirely without a head scarf. They dont wear it, and they dont keep it around their shoulders or in their bags. However, she acknowledged that a significant number of women still wear the headscarf out of fear of retribution from the authorities.

The defiance of the hijab law is most evident in larger cities, but even in smaller cities and towns, attitudes towards women's rights, including the freedom to choose what to wear, are changing. Women are increasingly defying the authorities. A woman from the southwestern city of Yasuj, who wished to remain anonymous, noted that while the percentage of women who go out without the hijab in Yasuj is much smaller than in Tehran, these women are viewed as courageous by locals.

Many Iranian women believe these changes are permanent. Mojgan Ilanlou, a Tehran-based filmmaker who has documented Iranian womens struggles, told Radio Farda, This change cannot be reversed or controlled. She added that the government's stance on the hijab has not changed, but the authorities have been forced to retreat by the determination of Iranian women who fought tooth and nail for their right to wear what they want and now strive to protect that achievement.

Ilanlou concluded, Authorities know that if they resist it will cost them and it will hurt them profoundly. This statement underscores the power of collective action and the potential for societal change, even in the face of oppressive regimes.