According to the public relations report of Research Institute for Islamic Culture and Thought , in order to analyze the individual and social effects of Hijab from the perspective of the Quran, Mehr News Agency had an interview with Hojjat al-Islam Mohammad Abedi, a member of the academic staff of the Quran Research Department of the Research Institute.
In the first part of this conversation, it was mentioned that the issue of Hijab in the Quran is part of a great geometry to make the social environment healthy, so that citizens and especially women can make the most of their rights and freedom for social activities. To elaborate on this matter, we must pay attention to the logic of the Qur’an about Hijab. Hijab is a “part of a set of Islamic mechanisms” to ensure that each of the organizing elements of the personal and family environment and the social environment remain within the same limits and do not disrupt the functions of the family or society by exceeding to other parts. Therefore, in the Holy Quran, the Hijab is part of a great geometry .
It was further said: There are ways proposed for men in many verses, from covering the eyes to others. Quran is realistic and not idealistic. That is, it knows that despite assigning duty to the believing men, the structure of their creation is such that they may not be able to control themselves (they have the duty and responsibility to control themselves) and still lose control of their eyes, that’s why Quran does not stop here, and in a completely realistic package, it asks both the men to manage their eyes and the women to control their bodies.
What you are reading below, is the second part of Mehr’s conversation with Hojat al-Islam Mohammad Abedi :
* What is the philosophy of these Quranic instructions to women and men regarding Hijab?
a fallacy that some writers commit, is that this view is the result of pessimism towards men or women. Especially in social media, these views are advocated that “recommending Hijab is a disease of the minds of people or men, and those who have sexual complex themselves, are looking for this issue of Hijab and consider everyone as themselves.” Even in this context, they insult religious elders in this chaotic state of social media. But the fact is that the way Hijab is dealt with, is not formed in such an intellectual atmosphere. Rather, it is a social mechanism that God, the creator, who is aware of human characteristics in general, and each man and woman in a specific way, has presented to man in the form of duty. You have seen that the Qur’an accepted the “not having Hijab” for only certain groups as an exception, and this means that most and the majority of the society and the human structure are such that there is a need for cover and Hijab in front of them, and this is suggestive of a common nature, property and instinct, and that is why the core and main obligation has been put on “Hijab” and “Cover” and special cases have been excluded from it .
* Can it be suggested that this social order is designed to prevent from bigger problems?
In verse 30 of Surah Noor, covering in front of “non-mahrams” was considered, and in verse 59 of Surah Al-Ahzab, the issue of “lascivious people” was clarified. It is clear that in practice, the number of those who seek to actually invade the privacy of others is always small, but because this small number, target unknown and unspecified women, and anyone may be attacked from them, the intellect necessitates the need to avoid the danger, by the management of “all” the eyes of the members of society, including “everyone”. The danger of this small group in depriving women of their freedom, is to the extent that Qur’an requires women to be active in managing the eyes of men and wants women to be active in the management of men’s eyes through their clothing and body management, to direct men’s eyes to their cover and Hijab, and somehow convey their defensive message (to men). Of course, the judicial files and cases in the family courts and the variation of the aggressors show that the practical distinction between lascivious people and those who are not, is a detailed project and a big challenge, so prevention is easier and less costly than that, and thus Hijab is a preventive strategy. It should be said that we emphasized that Hijab is only “one” of the tools for ensuring the freedom of women’s social activities and one of the social tools for the health of men’s social environment, and it will definitely not achieve the desired result without paying attention to the previous and posterior mechanisms .
* Why has the issue of hijab become an important issue today ?
If we are talking about hijab today, we should not consider it as formalizing the incorrect prioritization of the country’s problems. Of course, this discussion itself has a vast scope. For example, the intertwining of cultural and economic issues is not something that can be denied. Therefore, in order to stabilize Hijab, one should pay attention to the economic implications, etc., and this process should be carried out at the same time. At one time, the legislators considered a cultural annex for economic and industrial affairs, etc., which the time has shown, generally these annexes are prepared as a formal and superficial study with a few superficial studies to solve the task and accelerate the attraction of funds and facilities. And with such a situation, this can never be providing great goals in the field of Hijab and chastity and the culture and norms of the religious society. One of the mechanisms is “preparing a system of priorities ” under which economic and social corruption can be fought. The thinking and propaganda apparatus of the system (government) must be able to prove for its people in a real way that the government is working hard and struggling in all areas of peoples priorities, and Hijab is not its only priority.
In today’s media and cognitive war, it is important that the system can explain the real priority of Hijab to its citizens, it is necessary to enter content creating in the field of Hijab and produce and promote its liberating philosophy for women in particular.
* What should be done against the attacks of the enemies ragarding the issue of Hijab and women?
As the supreme leader of the revolution emphasized, in the issue of women, the Islamic Republic is a “creditor” to the international system, which has destroyed the dignity of women, so it is necessary to get out of the defensive mode and fight against the enemies who based on their views of Humanist or liberal and atheistic approaches, try to introduce Hijab as “incomprehensible” for our women and girls; “lacking rational justification”; and then make it understandable and justified for our citizens. The young generation, which has been attacked by Western and Eastern soft war officers and the media for more than 40 years due to the neglect of some cultural officials in different years, cannot be persuaded and convinced with mere words of “duty” and “command” and “prohibition”. Today, when you talk to some girls, they don’t know “why Hijab?” Regarding cultural issues and Hijab in particular, we need to form circles that will deal with the actions and inactions of the ones in charge, from the beginning of the revolution until today. According to what I said, it seems that we probably need intelligent cultural and social officials to spend the same amount of years to return the citizens to the Islamic path. Unfortunately, the story of Hijab has become like the story of traffic, which has a hundred in charge, and all of them receive funds, but when the day of reckoning comes, they all withdraw and look for the address of the culprit in other spheres of the sky! During the past years, have you witnessed even a single case where the institution that receives the culture budget from the beginning of the revolution until now, has been reprimanded for inefficiency in the case of Hijab?
