‘Iranian Women Already Enjoy Their Rights,’ President’s Wife Claims as Tehran Regime Introduces Stricter Dress Code
Jamileh Alamolhoda, wife of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi. Photo: Screenshot
The wife of Iran’s hardline president has waxed lyrically about the rights she claims are enjoyed by Iranian women in an interview with a US news outlet.
Jamileh Alamolhoda — the wife of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, a close ally of the country’s aging “Supreme Leader”, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei — told Newsweek that it was “very exciting and interesting that women in Iran have not fought for their rights because they already enjoy their rights.”
“And that is due to the preservation of their dignity in society by men,” she added.
Iran was convulsed more than one year ago by furious demonstrations against the ruling Islamist regime following the death of Jina “Mahsa” Amini — a young Kurdish woman who was badly beaten and tortured after she was arrested by its morality police for allegedly wearing her hijab, or head scarf, inappropriately. Hundreds of people were killed and thousands more detained during several months of unprecedented protests, with many women demonstrators defiantly burning their hijabs in public.
Amini’s fate was not mentioned once during the Newsweek interview, either by Alamolhoda or by the reporter with whom she conversed.
She gave her interview as Iran’s parliament approved tough new laws that stiffen the penalties against women who do not abide by the regime’s strict gender-based dress code.
The parliamentarians voted by 152 to 34 to pass the “Hijab and Chastity Bill,” which says that women who are caught dressed “inappropriately” in public places will be subject to a “fourth degree” punishment.
According to the penal code, that means a prison sentence of between five and 10 years and a fine of between 180m and 360m rials ($3,651-$7,302).
The bill also proposes fines for those “promoting nudity” or “making fun of the hijab” in the media and on social networks, and for owners of vehicles in which a female driver or passenger is not wearing the hijab or appropriate clothing, according to the AFP news agency.
Any person who promotes violating the dress code “in an organized manner” or “in co-operation with foreign or hostile governments, media, groups or organizations” could also be imprisoned for between five and 10 years, the law asserts.
Asked about Western criticism of Iran’s repression of women, Alamolhoda answered: “I have to admit that they do not know much about Iran. That is the cause of the misunderstanding. They’ve not dove into the vast depth of the relation between women and the populace. That is why they regard women with a Western lens.”
She also claimed that the “feminist movement from other parts of the world has also not found its way in Iran, and that is primarily due to the fact that it is inclined toward violence. As opposed to that, women in Iran prefer tranquility rather than being exposed to violence through the feminist approach.” Alamolhoda did not, however, provide any examples of “violence” instigated by feminists or their sympathizers.
In a separate interview with ABC News, Alamolhoda said that the “hijab was a tradition, was a religiously mandated tradition, accepted widely. And now for years, it has been turned into a law. And breaking of the law, trampling upon any laws, just like in any country, comes with its own set of punishments.”
The post ‘Iranian Women Already Enjoy Their Rights,’ President’s Wife Claims as Tehran Regime Introduces Stricter Dress Code first appeared on Algemeiner.com.