نشریه بانوان شیعه
پیاپی 11 (بهار 1386)

Veil as an important cultural issue and instrument for confrontation sexual and moral corruption, has been of great importance in all social schools and divine religions.Islam did not legislate the law of veil, but made it lawful and provided it in a moderate form which corresponds to women spirit. Christianity not only made it obligatory, but also tried to put it as a backing for inner modesty. In Judaism there have been many excesses in relation to women's veil. In religions like Zoroastrianism, Hinduism and Confucianism, veil and modesty have been suggested by some excesses and negligence from the sociological viewpoint, tendency toward veil or unveiling is a result of practices of organizations as well as the changes of social structures. From the psychological point of view, veil is a learned behavior which happens in the living environment of an individual. Statistic comparisons show a more proper situation of Iranian women veil in comparison to other countries.

This paper examines the advantages and disadvantages of each of the usual kinds of religious covering of Iranian Muslim women. As an 'alternative veil', both after Islamic revolution and before it in the veil recover period, manteau (overcoat) is not originally designed for religious covering, it has disadvantages. But tendency towards this kind of covering in the anti-colonial struggle and Pahlawi period has different causes from its selection after Islamic Revolution. Chador has been used in different religions and people by women. In Islamic Iran, Chador is a cleverly combination of nationality and being a Muslim of Iranian women that in addition to covering, contains a deep and vast culture. Although several kinds of native Chadors have been common among Iranian women and the formal Chadors including semi-circle, sleeve and original Iranian, in correspondence to the Quranic valuable pattern of veil, has especial characteristics, only the waist Chador is representative of Quranic and civil authentic of Chador and according to the professionals is 'more covering than Chador and more comfortable than manteau'. This kind of Chador possesses unique qualities that show cleverness of Iranian women and impression from Quranic culture.'Iranian Chador' or 'the higher veil', having 6 characteristics, completely reflects its value priority over other normative veils.

There are some Quranic verses denoting the obligatory of veil, including the verses 31 of the sura XXIV and 59 of the sura XXXIII. These two verses although briefly state the quality of veil, but one can not find explicitly the boundaries of veil from the two. So it must be referred to authentic narrations interpreting the verses in order to understand their meaning. But because of various narrations interred in interpretation of these verses and some of them are vague, there are some disagreements about the amount of covering used from these verses. Covering of face and the two palms are specifically questioned. Some Jurisprudents referring to these verses maintained that covering of face and palms is obligatory, but others, also referring to these verses, believe non-obligatory of covering face and the two palms.Demonstrations of both the two groups are exact and questionable, but the arguments of non-obligatory of covering face and the two palms seem stronger.

Citizenship and the rights and duties pertaining to it are from the basic concepts of democracy. Citizens have equal rights and duties and on the basis of the principle of equality in the west, the state is obliged to not only attach equal importance to the benefits of people, but also equally respect their views. On the other hand, not intervening of the countries in the civil affairs of each other is one of the basic principles of the new order of the world that explicitly suggested in United Nation Charter and observance of freedom and human rights is given as necessary conditions for practicing democratic principles.Despite of this principle, the law of prohibiting veil as an anti-religious campaign was passed. This law, as a 'religious discrimination', is in contradiction with France Constitution and in fact shows disloyalty to the Constitution and is a sample of breaking it; because France Constitution denies any gender,ethnic, racial, religious and belief discrimination. So, it concludes that the law of prohibiting veil which transmitted from France to other western countries is explicitly opposite to written democratic principles in world Constitutions and human rights.

The basis and genesis of each person character is depended on three factors of inheritance, environment and training and the Islamic government can impress the three factors, especially the training factor, in religious training of veil. Policy-making in three fundamental aspects of organizing, presentation and management can also provide the field for development of religious training in the veil and modesty fields. Sovereigntyin management must spread and institutionalize believes concerning the culture of veil accepting in three domains of managing legislations, managing the properness of operating decisions and managing in controlling. Islamic government should be active in arenas like public informing and explaining, propagating, promoting and determining paradigms (innateness, spiritualism and encouragement). Observing principles like the principle of convergent management in training veil, the principle of training consultations and management of emotional training in this period, the principle of management of gradation and moderation in veil and covering and the principle of management in making-lawful the morals associating this field is effective in progress of government aims in this regard.

On the basis of research findings, veil and covering of the body, from the beginning of human civilization, was in the form of complete covering of the body, vast and long. But in effect of lowing eastern impressions on the west and leaving Islamic thoughts, the covering changed into fewer dresses.Dress is a symbol of culture and would change on the basis of gender, age, geographical situation and etc. The form of dress is different in various environments. Sometimes inadequacy of women dress in job environment would endanger their psychological security. Some job inequalities and gender stratifications also have negative effects on women dress and covering. On the other hand, disruption in veil and modesty would bring about more insecurity of job environments and blemish of modesty. Paying attention to woman place in Islam and necessity of proper covering eliminate negative consequences of women's employment.

Women's covering is an important issue that has close relation to political, cultural and economic issues of each society. In our society, until now the major attentions to the issue of veil have been paid within the framework of minor social relationships and hardly viewed as a general and major issue of society at the level of development and expansion. This paper, by regarding the concept of political, cultural and economic development on the basis of revelation, examines the place of woman at the level of development of society in various thoughts. Then, by emphasizing her presence in this level, represents the implications of this kindof presence. 'Evolutional modesty' is one of the most important of these implications which is regarded as satisfactory of some part of developmental needs of Guardian System (nizame wilayah).In this view, 'veil culture' is the basic principle and, in accordance to it, the kind of veil finds its meaning and case. So, at the level of social evolution and development, 'the veil culture' which is the same as 'developmental modesty', spreads and there has been social planning and structuring for it.

After examining rationality and innateness of tendency toward covering and relation between veil and modesty, this article discusses Muslim women veil and its quality and boundaries from the viewpoint of Islam and refers to narrated and, sometimes to, historical demonstrations of the issue. Then the opinions of various groups about veil are examined. Finally each opinion is corresponded to a clear case in Fatima al-Zahra's life; because she is the unique pattern for men and women.

This paper is in fact an analytic-historical report from veil situation before and after the Islamic Revolution. So, at first it will glance at veil situation before Revolution (the last years of Muhammadreza Shah's government) and Pahlawi regime's efforts to destroy veil. Then, explaining the relation between the Revolution and veil, it gives some evidences that one of the reasons of the people to oppose the past regime was Shah's opposition to genuine religious values including veil. To continue, by referring to currents opposing veil after Islamic Revolution, the article explains the efforts of foreigner oppositions to confront veil and, in parallel, war role in strengthening veil along with vast presence of veiled women in various social scenes.