Sign In
By signing in or creating an account, you agree with Associated Broadcasting Company's Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.
By signing in or creating an account, you agree with Associated Broadcasting Company's Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.
New Delhi: Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei defended the Islamic dress code after making contentious statements about the US and Western capitalism, accusing them of “eroding women’s dignity.” He compared a woman to a flower who manages the home and must be “cared for and protected.” These remarks come at a time when Iranian women are publicly protesting against the rigidity of state-imposed restrictions.
Khamenei’s comments were issued a day after more than half of Iran’s parliament accused the judiciary of failing to properly enforce the law on mandatory headscarves for women. In a fiery post on X, the Iranian leader presented what he called the ideal “Islamic view of women’s rights,” a vision in which orthodox practices such as compulsory veiling and gender segregation are justified. He asserted that these practices are “morally superior to Western norms.”
The blistering post comes as Tehran faces sustained global criticism for its crackdown on women and girls. Khamenei wrote that a society’s primary responsibility is to uphold “justice in social behaviour and justice within the family,” insisting that governments must protect a woman’s “security, dignity, and honour.” He accused Western society of damaging women’s dignity and claimed that there is no pay parity in the US.
Khamenei also launched a scathing attack on Western culture, accusing it of destroying family structures. He alleged that capitalist societies are full of gangs preying on young girls and promoting “increasing sexual promiscuity—all under the name of freedom.” He argued that such “corruption” is presented by the West as freedom.
Backing his arguments with religious references, Khamenei said Islam views women as “like a flower in the home,” deserving care rather than being reduced to domestic labour. “Women are the managers of the home, not servants for you. A flower must be cared for and protected, and she will enrich you with her colour, fragrance, and qualities,” he wrote. He cited Quranic figures such as Maryam (Mary) and the wife of Pharaoh as examples of the elevated status Islam grants women.
However, critics argue that these claims do not reflect the reality on the ground. Iran’s laws still impose compulsory hijab from the age of seven, maintain strict regulations that effectively permit child marriage, and offer no legal protection from domestic violence or “honour killings.”
