People
0

Short Term Solutions Not Effective

Short Term Solutions Not Effective
Short Term Solutions Not Effective

The vice-president for Women and Family Affairs said approaching the issue of hijab with “coercion and the imposition of restrictions” is not effective in promoting “modesty” in society.

In an interview with the Iranian Labor News Agency (ILNA), Shahindokht Molaverdi rejected all “forceful approaches” intended to enhance “morality, values or Islamic dress code” as unsuccessful.  

 “Experience has taught us that reasons for anti-social behavior are multi-faceted and complex and short-term solutions are not effective to deal with these issues,” she maintained. Molaverdi suggested the “root causes” of the issue be investigated and addressed.

She described the coordination between the Women’s Committee of the Majlis and her department as “positive” saying that “whenever MPs asked for a meeting to discuss issues, we complied.” Meetings will continue in the future on issues like the Sixth Five-Year Economic Development Plan, next year’s budget and government’s suggested bills about women, she added. However, she said when it comes to the bills being drafted in the committee, the collaboration “is not necessarily close.”

Molaverdi ascribed much of the criticism directed at her to the “success of the work” that is undertaken and said “the only text that has no errors is an unwritten one.”

Earlier, a member of the social committee of the Majlis also spoke out against tough measures in the fight against “poor Islamic dress code.”

 Root Causes

 Abbas Salahi, in an interview with ISNA outlined his views on the ongoing debate on how to promote the Islamic dress code among women, saying “the root causes of poor dress code must be investigated first.”

He noted that the issue of hijab has become a “chronic” social problem and “so far, no effective strategy has been put in place to address it.” He added that any direct confrontation “aimed at fixing the issue of hijab” needs legal authorization. “The issue could have been solved easily and we shouldn’t have let it come to this extent,” the lawmaker said.

Salahi said the ultimate solution to the problem is investigating the root causes of “inappropriate dress” and launching cultural campaigns to institutionalize Islamic values among the youth.

Financialtribune.com