With that in mind, we wanted to look at how Maryam Rajavi, leader of the Iranian Resistance, would support women’s rights in a Free Iran. We’ve previously looked at the freedoms, rights, and equality that Maryam Rajavi believes all women should enjoy, which includes equality in the family sphere, the prohibition of violence against women, and the equal and Active participation of Women in Leadership.

In our fourth and final piece, we will look at why Maryam Rajavi believes that compulsory veiling is wrong, how this ties in with women’s equality, and what she would do to stop it.
Compulsory veiling or the forced hijab is a relatively new thing in Iran, only brought in following the mullahs’ takeover in 1979 despite mass protests from Iranian women and the Iranian Resistance. This sexist law is one of a series designed to deprive women of their autonomy and is enforced by the so-called morality police who will beat, arrest, and even flog women who are “guilty” of bad hijab.

Maryam Rajavi said: “They have turned Iran into a great prison for women. For this reason, we reiterate that Iranian women must be free! They must be free to choose what they believe in, what they want to wear and how they want to live. And we repeat NO to compulsory veil; NO to compulsory religion; and NO to compulsory government.”

She advises that misogyny is at the core of the mullahs’ plan to suppress society as a whole, but that it has nothing to do with religious devotion, chastity, or family values. It’s all to do with maintaining the power of the mullahs over the people as it justifies the permanent presence of the suppressive security forces in the streets.

Maryam Rajavi said: “Similarly, clamping down on women on the pretext of mal-veiling is one of the most effective means to repress society and silence any voice of dissent…The mullahs have no scruples in enchaining women on so-called religious grounds.”

Simply, it gives the mullahs free rein to scrutinise and control society from sports to employment to people’s daily commutes. It allows the mullahs to raid people’s homes for no reason, censor books, movies and music, filter websites and social media, fabricate criminal charges, and attack political parties.
Maryam Rajavi said: “This explains why whenever the regime suffers a political setback on the international scene, or whenever it faces social protests and uprisings, it steps up executions and intensifies the campaign against mal-veiling…. The ruling mullahs are fully aware that if they show leniency vis-à-vis compulsory veiling or modify any of their laws and policies that oppress women, the latter’s power will quickly advance and mobilize society.”

That is why the mullahs misogyny should be confronted and why Maryam Rajavi and the Resistance need to bring about regime change in Iran.