Sexual Anxieties in

Political Arguments

In late-Qajar - Early Pahlavi period

Saghar Bozorgi

Unveiling Can Prevent Change

“They want to spread this despicable [Qabih] custom among Muslims and to

order women to remove their face veil [Niqab], so that passion and the Satan

[Shahavat va Shaytan] will be happy with them. They could then say that this is

one of the consequences of constitutionalism and national government. With

this [falsehood] they hope to make the population hate this holy order and

prevent them from progressing. They want to stop the new civilization

[Tamaddon-i-Jadid] from entering the land of Islam, even though there is perfect

harmony between Islam and the new civilization” (Fakhr al Islam, 1911: 36-37; cited in Najmabadi, 2005: 136)

Research Questions

How seemingly nonsexual subjects (such as women‟s education,

people‟s dressing, women‟s Hijab, etc) are connected to sexual

anxieties?

Who (which groups) were articulating these anxieties, and how the anxieties

were justified in their arguments?

Here I focus on the discussions about hijab.

Outline

I. The meaning and usage of Hijab (veiling) over time.

II. Sexual anxieties articulated in anti-Hijab arguments

III. Sexual anxieties articulated in pro-Hijab arguments

IV.The legacy of these anxieties in today‟s discussions about hijab?

V. Concluding remarks

Hijab in 19th and Early 20th Century

But…

• Not for “every” women: not necessarily in rural areas.

• Not for all social classes: was usually for a decent, higher class women.

• Not only “limitation”, but also “opportunity” as a result of anonymity.

Unveiling idea and program was in the first place about removing the

face veil and chador.

“Women and girls baking bread” with their less

strict covering

Source: women’s World in Qajar Iran collection, http://www.qajarwomen.org/en/items/1261A171.html

Note: “A woman with chador and veiland a woman with Kurdish costume”.

Source: women’s world in Qajar Irancollection: “Two women”http://www.qajarwomen.org/en/items/1261A112.html

Un/Veiling timeline and meaning

• 1848: Qurrat al-Ayn in Badasht gathering, while introducing a new religion

• 1926: Sedighe Dowlatabadi’s unveiling while being guarded.

• 1936: Unveiling program forcing all women to leave

Chador, and use “western hats” instead of scarf.

• 1941: Reza Shah‟s forced abdication, and the law‟s abolition.

• 1981: Veiling law, forcing all women to wear hijab outside home.

Anti-Hijab Arguments

Bahār (1307/1928)

• “Namus” [honor] cannot be preserved by scarf, because a woman

is much freer behind “Chador”.

• Even harmful for chastity [Effat], as “Chador” can conceal one‟s

sinful practices.

The fear of what a „free‟ women „can‟ do is still there…

Iraj Mirza (1304/1925):

The Role of Women‟s Hijab in Men‟s

Homosexuality

• Why pederasty or sodomy is this much prevalent in Iran which even

Europeans don‟t have it?

• “As long as this nation is in the captive of Hijab, they would still be

involved in this strange thing”

• “If a woman wants to have relationship with you, neither chador, nor Ruband

(face veil) can prohibit her”,

Pro-Hijab Arguments

Adultery [Zina]: The Slippery Final Consequence of

Unveiling

“There are four things that provide the facilities of the pleasure [Talazzoz] of

men with women and women with men, in a sequence; and each is the cause

for the other:

... and stopping the way to Nazar [gaze], would lead to the stop of the way to

the next three ones.” (Bushehri, 1291/1913: 105)

Nazar[Gaze]

Talking [Takallom],

Touching [Molasemeh]

Marriage [Monakiheh]

Why Zina is a Problem?

• Harām way of [forbidden] pregnancy (Zeinab-Beygom, 1305/1927),

• Prevalence of serious disease like syphilis (Ibid),

• Parentage and Inheritance troubles in family (also monetary issues)

(Bushehri, 1291/1913)

• Murder, as a result of competition (Duel), which was believed to happen in

Western societies, for one‟s wife/lover (Navab Mirza qajar , 1266/1888).

Country-Based Pro-Hijab Arguments

• Unveiling as „foreigners‟‟ plan for decreasing the number of Iranian

population which leads to the weakness of Iran, and thus the weakness of

Islam (Marandi Khoyi, 1304/1925: 198).

• Unveiling a plan of western invaders, who finally want to penetrate into

Iranian‟s houses and sleep with Iranian woman in the name of freedom,

which would lead to so many adulteries and a lot of Farangi embryos.

“Hijab Means Not Being Exposed”

Hijab means not being exposed.

Source:Bayan

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The Way from Displaying Yourself to Unacceptable

Sexual Behaviors

[From khod-namayi to Khod-erzayi]

Note: This is the transcript of a girl who displaysherself [dokhtar-e-Khod-nama].

Starts with the course of displaying yourself,continuing by these course in which she had gotthe whole grade for all of them: Passionism,leaving praying, collecting sins, disobeying Quran,Saving sexy movies in mobile phone, and the verylast one: "Masturbation”.

Source: Social network of Hammihan website, a picture shared byHoda Naji. http://www.hammihan.com/post/331721

Unveiling: Foreigner‟s Program

Anti-Hijab Contemporary Arguments

“I, as a man,

„consider Islamic

hijab as an insult to

men, and I support

the rights of the

my homeland‟s

women, particularly

the right to choose

the way of

covering .”

“Hijab is not immunity [Masuniat], it is limitation!”

Source: Sabz Persian blog

http://sabzpersian.wordpress.com/2011/07/08/%D8%AD%D8%AC%D8%A7%D8%A8-%D9%85%D8%B5%D9%88%D9%86%DB%8C%D8%AA-%D9%86%DB%8C%D8%B3%D8%AA-%D8%8C-%D9%85%D8%AD%D8%AF%D9%88%D8%AF%DB%8C%D8%AA-%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%AA/

Concluding Remarks

• Articulation of sexual anxieties: not limited to

anti-modernist groups.

• Pro-hijab arguments were not limited to religious

reasons: use of sexual anxieties could help to

bring broader “acceptable” arguments.

Where is women‟s opinion/desire?