Amidst the turmoil of the Iranian regime’s campaign to impose mandatory hijab, retirees in different cities are chanting, “Their slogan is hijab, but their action is plunder and theft!”
These slogans reflect the deep awareness of the oppressed and awakened segments of Iran, who know well the hidden objectives behind the underlying motives of the regime’s so-called hijab campaign. By enforcing the hijab, the regime seeks to escalate the atmosphere of suppression to hinder the eruption of social protests against systematic theft by the state and regime officials.
It is significant that Kazem Sadiqi, the Secretary of the Committee for Encouraging of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, the body that is enforcing the hijab rules, was involved in a recently revealed embezzlement case that involved a cherry orchard. However, regime supreme leader Ali Khamenei did not dismiss him from the said committee or from the position of Tehran’s Friday Prayer leader. This is because all these thieves, whether wearing turbans or not, have received permission for theft in exchange for their participation in crimes and oppression from Khamenei himself, and they enjoy his personal support.
Khamenei’s support for corrupt individuals has led to numerous debates within the regime. To the extent that Masih Mohajeri, the editor-in-chief of the Islamic Republic newspaper, sarcastically wrote, “As long as you do not clarify the fate of the blasphemous preacher and the issue of the cherry orchard, you cannot compel society to adhere to religion and hijab.”
The slogan being chanted in protests these days, “Their slogan is hijab, but their action is plunder and theft,” signifies that despite the regime’s deceptive efforts to present itself as synonymous with Islam, the people separate the regime’s account from Islam. The people understand religion has become a tool of oppression and plunder in the hands of the ruling clerics. Just as the people chanted slogans in anti-regime uprisings, such as “They’ve used Islam as a ladder to humiliate the people.”
The regime seeks to suppress the massive uprising by resorting to executions, suppressing women, and intensifying the atmosphere of intimidation. However, as some elements within the regime warn, it is playing with fire. The intensified repression and brutal treatment of women have not been able to calm the explosive anger within society; instead, it has the potential to ignite future rebellions.
The tangible conditions and fiery anger of the people, who chanted slogans like “Poverty, corruption, high prices, we’re going for overthrow” during anti-regime uprisings, indicate this. Especially since the organized resistance continues to expand its activities across Iran. In the face of the criminal suppression of women and girls, Resistance Units promote the slogan “Women, Resistance, Freedom,” which arises from the reality of Iranian society and is the response of women and men who are aware of the regime’s misogynistic behavior.
Therefore, the regime’s repressive actions lead more women and men to join the ranks of the resistance with a focus on the rejection of all forms of dictatorship. This repeatedly proves the historical lesson that in revolutionary circumstances, a dictator’s every move for survival only accelerates its downfall. Along this path, resilient women have proven themselves as pioneers and leaders, paying a heavy and bloody price on the battlefields of struggle and steadfastness against the misogynistic dictatorship.