Google 1970s Iran vs now. It’s an interesting contrast of how quickly societies can change; and some would argue, not towards the future but backwards.
Google 1970s Iran vs now. It’s an interesting contrast of how quickly societies can change; and some would argue, not towards the future but backwards.
Assuming you’re asking for real, the hijab isn’t a requirement. And before I get too much shit, I’m an atheist that spends a lot of time in a Muslim country and sees first hand how it is nothing like most of the West is taught.
To break it down simply: If you want to be a good Muslim, you need to be modest. For a women to be modest, covering their hair after puberty around men is common. Some take it further and dress in the niqab, the beekeeper style suit.
Note that while some are “forced” to wear it, most are not. Socially it is the same as you’re allowed to wear a itsy bitsy teeny weeny yellow polka dot bikini, but most women would find that uncomfortable in the super market or Applebee’s. So they dress more modestly. The definition of what is modest just changes slightly.
In your own home most do not wear the hijab since there’s no expectation of modesty around husbands and no need around kids or immediate family. But this is also true of public spaces where there aren’t men. Many places will have women’s only beach days or gyms or cafe days, etc and you’ll find women in there that are total strangers without coverings.
The super strict places with morality police are not common. But thanks to US intervention, it is more common in Iran. Kind of like how if you wear a drag outfit downtown in Alabama, you’re going to have a bad time and in many US states, now get arrested.
One of the modern things that has been an issue with West and middle East mixing is when hijabis (women who wear the hijab) go to like a bachelorette party or a women’s party and then take off their hijab. Then they do what they do and take a bunch of photos. The hijabis don’t post any of those on social media, they only post while covered because some reasoning is “you don’t know who or why someone is looking at a public photo”. But western women will just post them all. And this has been an issue for the past decade+. Back with film you “posed” and it was explicit it was to be shared. You wouldn’t waste 1/18th of your roll for nothing! But now it isn’t.
This was very informative. Thank you for the insight!