June 2025

What viewers witnessed on national television—amid war and foreign assault—was a clear and powerful image of the Iranian Muslim woman: Sahar Emami, fully veiled, without seeking attention, yet radiating strength and dignity.

✍| By Ms. Fatemeh Ghasemi

In Her Hijab: Confidence and Composure; In Her Modesty: Freedom and Clarity

Her presence embodied confidence. Her modesty wasn’t a limitation, but a reflection of her freedom of thought and expression. That broadcast showed no conflict between hijab and women’s freedom—no invisible wall preventing her from stepping forward or playing a public role.

What the world saw didn’t match the stories often told by some Western “women’s rights” advocates. In fact, it was a direct response to the false accusations against Iranian women: that they are oppressed, silenced, or stripped of agency.

Her modesty wasn’t a limitation, but a reflection of her freedom of thought and expression. That broadcast showed no conflict between hijab and women’s freedom—no invisible wall preventing her from stepping forward or playing a public role.

The veiled Iranian woman, before the eyes of the world, didn’t speak from the shadows of hijab—she spoke through it. She acted, appeared, and stood tall within it.

Hijab Is Not a Barrier—It Is Power

If hijab hindered freedom or social engagement, how has Sahar Emami, wearing full hijab and modesty, worked actively and effectively in Iranian media for over two decades?

If hijab suppressed women’s voices, how did she, during a direct attack on the national broadcast building, speak firmly and without fear, defending the truth?

If hijab meant women couldn’t claim their rights, how did she, in those tense moments, speak not just for herself, but courageously for the rights of women, children, and men across the country, demanding justice?

Western activists have long demanded ‘freedom for Iranian women’—but what kind of freedom cannot exist alongside modesty? The answer is clear: sexual freedom

Isn’t this the very freedom any dignified human seeks? Freedom of thought, of speech, and the freedom to live honorably.

Which “Freedom” Is Incompatible with Hijab?

Western feminist and women’s rights activists have long demanded “freedom for Iranian women”—but what kind of freedom cannot exist alongside modesty?

The answer is clear: sexual freedom.

Campaigns like My Stealthy Freedom (encouraging women to post photos without hijab) and White Wednesdays (where women wear white on Wednesdays to protest hijab), led by figures like Masi Alinejad, may appear to promote “choice.” But in reality, they seek to normalize sexual liberation as the primary path to women’s rights. What begins as a call for dress choice evolves into the promotion of public nudity and rebellion. These aren’t just social movements—they are part of a broader attempt to undermine Iranian identity, womanhood, and family. It’s no surprise that figures like Netanyahu, a long-time enemy of Iran, have publicly supported these efforts while falsely presenting themselves as defenders of Iranian women.

This isn’t new. These same goals—breaking the core of the Iranian family—have been long pursued by Western policymakers and shaped by the ideologies of feminist theorists like Simone de Beauvoir, Andrea Dworkin, and Judith Butler. These efforts seek to wound the deep roots of modesty and cultural integrity in Iranian women. In doing so, they reduce the rich concept of freedom into a shallow notion of sexual liberation, marketed as empowerment.

Rooted in Culture, Modesty, and Resistance

But the Iranian woman is not the caricature her enemies imagine. She is not fragile, nor easily influenced. She is deeply connected to faith, self-respect, and resistance. Her idea of freedom is not built on vanity or sexual display—it is based on intellect, expression, and dignity.

The Iranian woman is not fragile, nor easily influenced. She is deeply connected to faith, self-respect, and resistance. Her idea of freedom is not built on vanity or sexual display—it is based on intellect, expression, and dignity.

In the school of Islam, the Iranian woman is noble, aware, and dignified—like Lady Zaynab (peace be upon her), who, in the darkest moments of grief and crisis, stood firm, spoke boldly, and defended truth and humanity. That same spirit is visible today in women like Sahar Emami.

Such women are not diminished by hijab. They are elevated by it. With full modesty and unmatched dignity, they strike back at the false narratives of Western “women’s rights” champions. They endure. They remain.

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