A ‘Medieval Law’: Iran’s New Hijab Bill Cracks Down on Women

Latest Developments

• Iran Unveils New Hijab Law: Tehran on November 30 released the full text of a new bill that would increase punishments on women who refuse to wear the mandatory hijab, or headscarf, in public. Iran’s parliament originally passed the law in September 2023, but the text has undergone multiple revisions since then as a consequence of the requests of the regime’s 12-member, unelected Guardian Council, which vets all statutes to ensure their consistency with Tehran’s Islamist ideology. The council gave final approval to the bill in October 2024.

• Draconian Penalties: Under the law, initial “offenses will incur fines ranging from 20 million tomans ($285) to 80 million tomans ($1,140), while subsequent violations will attract higher fines, between 80 million tomans and 165 million tomans ($2,350),” the UK-based news outlet Iran Wire reported on December 2. The bill also punishes Iranians merely for encouraging defiance of the law or insulting women who obey it. These penalties could include the denial of exit permits to leave Iran, prison sentences of two-to-six years, and 74 lashes.

• Law Sparks Public Anger: The legislation has spurred “nationwide outrage,” Iran Wire reported. In a December 1 statement, prominent Iranian activists Nasrin Sotoudeh and Sedigheh Vasmaghi called the bill “shameful,” a “ridiculous show,” and a “medieval law.” The UK-based news outlet Iran International received hundreds of voice messages condemning the law, many of which described it as economic extortion aimed at funding Iran’s proxies across the Middle East and suppressing dissent.

FDD Expert Response

“Over a decade ago, the Iranian Liberal Students organization launched the bold ‘No to Mandatory Hijab’ campaign, drawing 60,000 supporters on Facebook — a small number but a groundbreaking achievement for its time. Today, Iranian women openly defy the hijab law every single day, standing as a testament to a tech-savvy generation that refuses to be shackled by archaic rules. The regime has already lost the battle over the hijab, clinging desperately to a relic of a bygone era. Its latest hijab law is nothing more than a futile, panic-driven attempt to maintain control in the face of inevitable change.” —Saeed Ghasseminejad, Senior Iran and Financial Economics Advisor

“The Iran regime’s continued war on women will play a major role in its eventual downfall. The people of Iran despise the regime over its oppression of women — oppression that sparked the largest uprising in the regime’s history just two years ago. Rationality would argue against this law, but here, religious extremism and ideology trump rationality.” — Richard Goldberg, Senior Advisor

“Iran’s new hijab law reflects the regime’s desperation. Mindful that its violent suppression of nationwide protests has failed to quell dissent, Tehran now seeks to enforce its radical Islamist creed by imposing financial hardships and additional punishments on ordinary Iranians. Yet this effort is likely to fail as well. Most Iranians seek nothing less than regime change, and they will continue to challenge the Islamic Republic until they achieve their goals.” — Tzvi Kahn, Research Fellow and Senior Editor

“This highlights that both ‘reformist’ and ‘hardliner’ administrations of the Islamic Republic are united in their pursuit of domestic repression. The regime’s exploitation of Iranian women as a source of revenue underscores its desperate efforts to offset a mounting budget deficit. Washington should leverage Tehran’s two critical vulnerabilities — its faltering economy and its dismal record on women’s rights — in confronting the regime.” — Janatan Sayeh, Research Analyst