Iran promotes psychological treatment for women who object to wearing the hijab

Put Iranian women who object to wearing the hijab to receive treatment at a mental health clinic in Tehran: This was published last night (Tuesday) in the British Telegraph newspaper. The center, which will be called the “Hijab Removal Clinic”, is another attempt by the Islamic Republic to stop the hijab protest that has gained momentum in recent years, especially after the death of 22-year-old Mehsa Amini, an Iranian citizen of Kurdish origin, who was arrested by the Iranian Moral Police because that she did not comply with the laws of Atit hijab, that according to the evidence she was beaten and tortured and died two days later.Mehri Talbi Darstani, who will manage the new center, claims that it is a center for “scientific research and treatment and psychological removal of the hijab, intended especially for the teenage generation – young women and women looking for a social and Islamic identity.” According to her, the project will focus on promoting “respect, modesty, purity and hijab”, and participation will be “optional”, although it is not clear what the meaning of this definition is in practice.

According to the report, the clinic will be under the supervision of the so-called “Headquarters for Enjoining Good and Prohibiting Evil” – the government body responsible for enforcing strict religious standards in society, whose head is directly appointed by Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei. By the way, the same body is under sanctions by the United Kingdom and other countries for violating human rights and imposing severe punishments on women who do not adhere to Iran’s Islamic dress code.

Earlier this month, an Iranian student from the Islamic Azad University in Tehran removed her head covering and stripped in public and was arrested. In a video that went viral, the young woman was filmed walking around the university in underwear and a bra – in protest against the country’s strict Islamic dress code. According to reports, the government labeled her mentally ill, and she was taken to a psychiatric institution.