The head of the Leisure and Cultural Organization of the City of Mashhad has announced the implementation of the “Hijab Discourse Project” to teach about hijab (Islamic dress code and comportment) to people of various ages.
The Mehr News Agency reports that according to Mojtaba MajidFarimani, the project involves holding workshops in schools, community centres and organizations geared toward women, targeting girls between the ages of 12 and 18, homemakers and women in the workforce.
He added that experts in hijab will be presenting workshops around different topics such as “customs and the art of socializing”, “How can I be beautiful?” and “Feminine skills.”
In the Customs and Art of Socializing workshop, relationships with parents, friendships and relationships with the opposite sex are discussed for the benefit of young women.
The “How can I be beautiful?” workshop reportedly deals with different forms of beauty, nutrition, puberty, self image, self esteem and fashion.
The report goes on to add that the “Feminine Skills” workshop discusses issues such as “Women’s self awareness, the philosophy of hijab, the place of women in the universe, managing feelings, the art of managing feelings in relationships with the opposite sex, sexual attraction, assertiveness skills and saying-no skills.”
The report adds that 110 workshops have already been held and more are planned until the end of the year.
The enforcement of hijab in a population that in large part refuses to follow strict forms of hijab is a serious preoccupations of Islamic Republic authorities. President Rohani’s attempts to provide the public with more social liberties have been met with a backlash from conservative factions.
The administration has tried to put a stop to the vigilante enforcement of hijab on the streets by volunteers rallied by mosques. Their efforts have put the controversy under Parliament’s consideration.
Some have linked the rash of acid attacks on women in Isfahan to the controversies about the enforcement of hijab.
