Shiva Balochi: the hijab has never been important to me
In fact, just weeks after Iran established its theocratic regime, on March 8, 1979, women took to the streets to protest after rumors spread that the government would enforce mandatory veiling. As a result, the regime could only insist on hijab in steps and couldn’t fully enforce mandatory compliance until 1981. Since then, as I outline in my recently published book, women have been strategizing on how to challenge gender discrimination in politics and society, from both outside and within government structures.
