During Indira Gandhi’s first term as Prime Minister, when she visited the Gulf country of Kuwait, she had to face a question related to the dress code of women in that country. In the press conference, a foreign journalist raised the question that women in Kuwait have to wear veils that cover their entire bodies and should not be allowed to wear other clothes according to the period. By questioning Indira Gandhi, the newspaper writer had the intention to oppose the government there. But Indira Gandhi answered very expertly. Indira Gandhi said that every country has a different culture and the way of dressing is derived from that culture and it is not right for her as the Prime Minister of another country to blame it. That was a very valid comment.
There are countries where religious dress code is mandatory. There are countries where people are free to wear whatever clothes they want. It cannot be said that the dress code of civilized countries should be imposed the same in all countries. It is the society that wears the type of dress prescribed by the religion that has the right to say that it needs a change. If they give more importance to religious principles than clothing, then that is their right. The hijab movement has been going on for two months in Iran, where religious dress code exists. The local women are taking to the streets against this. On September 16, 2022, the anti-hijab protest started and became turbulent after the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, a twenty-two-year-old woman who was arrested by the official morality police for not covering her head as required by law. As days went by, it turned into an anti-government protest and 469 people have died in the clashes so far. About twenty thousand people were imprisoned. There were both positive and negative reactions all over the world.
The latest indication is that the Iranian government is giving in to the protesters. The news is that Iran has dismissed the moral police of the country. Iran’s Isna news agency quoted Attorney General Mohammad Jafar Montaseri as saying that the morality police had no connection with the justice department and had been disbanded. There is news that parliament and judiciary are discussing whether to change the law requiring women to cover their heads. Religion and government are for the people.
History teaches that no precept can hold unless the great majority of the people oppose it.
Religious laws and government approaches need to change with time. Even in Saudi Arabia, changes are coming in the form of giving driving licenses to women. Therefore, the ultra-conservative argument that centuries-old customs should remain the same, regardless of religion, is futile. University studies are allowed for women in Iran. They can drive their own car. They are also eligible for employment in government offices. The administration should have realized before the agitation that the action of appointing the morality police to check the hijab acceptance after giving such freedom was not right.