Different Methods of Resistance Resorted to by Iranian People against the State Ordinance of Removing Hijab during the First Pahlavi Era

Abstract

After Reza Khan took power and established a powerful central government, the way was paved for planning reforms in Iran. Among these reforms was the improvement of the status of women, which tried to make Iran similar to the West. This goal accounts for the removal of hijab and changing the appearance of the people. In the present study, through library research, the authors investigated how people protested against the removal of hijab and compared it with various cultural, economic, psychological and social indices of resistance against the reforms; it was concluded that people’s fidelity to religious beliefs and values as well as other cultural factors constitutes the most important reason why they resisted hijab removal. It should be noted that social, psychological, and even economic factors have also been influential on this resistance in Iran

Keywords

• hijab removal
• people
• reforms
• resistance
• reza shah