Government losing control over veiling, says Khamenei adviser
Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel, also a member of the Iranian Parliament, believes that the government needs a united front to address the issue of veiling and recommended subsidies for factories that produce veils.
An Iranian member of parliament has said that partisan politics is costing the government the power to implement a coherent policy on veiling. Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel, who is also an adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and related to him through marriage, appeared on the popular television program “Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow” and spent considerable time discussing veiling in Iran.
“One of our problems in our struggle with veiling is that we do not make a united statement,” Haddad-Adel said. “One person says cultural work must be done, another says we have to confront this issue with organized institutions. These multiple statements and seasonal actions have ruined the work. The power of the establishment is lost through such actions.”
Haddad-Adel pleaded with officials inside President Hassan Rouhani’s administration to “not say things that give comfort” to those who break cultural norms.
At the beginning of every summer, Iranian authorities prioritize enforcing proper veiling. This year, however, the issue has received traction in the media for a variety of reasons. The arrest of young men and unveiled women dancing in the tribute video to Pharrell Williams' "Happy" and their high-profile public confessions have also brought discussion of the veil and cultural issues to the public.
