Hawzah News Agency- Speaking at the 31st School of Doubt Studies in Qom, hosted by Iran’s seminary institutions and research centers focusing on women, family, and social ethics, Hojatoleslam Majid Dehghan—faculty member at the Women and Family Research Institute—addressed the topic of “The Iranian Woman Model: A Synthesis of Tradition and Innovation.”
Dehghan stressed that social and cultural role models must remain responsive to their audience and historical context. “While values and principles are fixed, the forms in which they are expressed must evolve,” he said. “The challenge lies in presenting enduring values through frameworks that resonate with changing social realities.”
Referring to the experience of Iranian women, he noted that many sought active and meaningful participation in society similar to women in Europe, while simultaneously preserving their own moral and cultural values. “This path was made possible after the Islamic Revolution,” he said, crediting Imam Khomeini with opening the space for women’s social engagement without abandoning religious identity.
He described Lady Fatima Zahra (peace be upon her) as a comprehensive and timeless role model, encompassing social engagement, family life, motherhood, and moral leadership. “Her life should be translated into practical, context-specific models,” he said, “so women can draw inspiration in accordance with their individual circumstances.”
Highlighting recent research on Muslim women living in Western countries, Dehghan explained that hijab, for them, represents far more than compliance with a religious injunction. “For many Muslim women in the West, hijab is a declaration of identity,” he said. “It signals a conscious decision to follow a path distinct from the dominant culture and to stand firm against the powerful current of assimilation.”
By contrast, he warned that this meaning has been eroded among some younger generations in Muslim societies. “Social media narratives have succeeded in portraying hijab as a symbol of coercion imposed by governments or religious institutions,” he said. “This framing is misleading and strips hijab of its deeper ethical and identity-based significance.”
Dehghan also addressed the participation of some adolescents and young people in recent unrest, calling for serious and nuanced analysis. He said many young participants held distorted perceptions of Iranian society, were unaware of the country’s realities, and felt disconnected from the future. “Some were uninformed about the achievements of the Islamic Revolution, or denied them altogether,” he noted, adding that this gap in understanding places a heavier responsibility on educators, scholars, and social leaders.
He emphasized that the Leader of the Islamic Revolution’s call for jihad of clarification—an active effort to explain realities and counter misinformation—must not be treated as a slogan. “It requires sustained, serious engagement,” he said. “Just as the Leader serves as a source of calm and reassurance for society, we too must become sources of stability and refuge for our families, neighborhoods, and communities during times of social tension.”
Dehghan concluded that reclaiming the meaning of hijab as a symbol of dignity, agency, and identity—particularly for an international audience—is essential to understanding the lived experience of Muslim women, both in Iran and across the West.
Your Comment