The Causes and Factors for the Formation of the Unveiling Phenomenon in the Pahlavi Era

In recent centuries، one of the aims of western colonizers in Iran has been to attack religious and traditional values including «the hijab of women». The measure of Reza Shah against the hijab of women، imitating the western culture، was a tangible and harsh example of this cultural attack. Reza Shah claimed that if people wear unified clothes and Pahlavi hats and if their religious beliefs weaken، they will become civilized. On this basis، struggling against traditional and religious symbols such as traditional clothes and their wearing was a necessary measure. Reza Shah thought of “civilizing” Iran from the beginning of his reign. The unification of clothes in 1928 and the attire of the Shah''s family members and other symptoms confirmed this fact. Reza Shah''s trip to Turkey reinforced this viewpoint and after this trip، Reza Shah raised the issue of the freedom of women and of unveiling them. January 8، 1936 was the day in which Iran moved into the arena of “civilizing”. On this day the ban on hijab was publicly announced، and the spreading of this news aggravated social reactions including the Goharshad Mosque uprising. This paper aims to answer this question: what are the causes، background and consequences of the unveiling in Iran? The answer to this question is based on the assumption that due to the resistance of women and ulama in front of the regime، the ban of hijab was not successful in Iran.