Rouhani speaks out against harsh enforcement of veil
During speeches in the Iranian city of Mashhad, President Hassan Rouhani has criticized the strict enforcing of veiling laws.
In a speech in the holy city of Mashhad, President Hassan Rouhani criticized strict enforcement of the veil in Iran and said that society does support wearing of the veil. During a different speech to a more conservative crowd, he said people had “given blood” for the veil in Iran.
“Do we think that elevating a society is [done] through vans and minibuses and policeman and soldiers? Culture is not made right by this,” said Rouhani, referring to the controversial practices of the religious police, who enter major city squares and arrest or fine women for liberally interpreting the country’s hijab laws. Often, young violators are rounded up in vans and taken to a local police station.
