Cosponsored by the Interior Ministry and the Islamic Republic of Iran Police (IRIP), an exhibition of Islamic apparel was held in Tehran in the middle of the month.
Al-Zahra University and the Artistic-Cultural Organization of Tehran Municipality jointly held a workshop on designing women’s clothes.
The government initiative was indeed bold coming as it is after long years of passivity toward the important issue of dress code for our womenfolk.
With the rare exposition the government demonstrated that it cares and considers the issue of women’s clothes a social and ethical issue that should be handled with wisdom and without confusion.
Over the past 15 years an unusual attempt was made at the government level to define the ’realm of private life’ as something beyond restrictions or a specific framework.
State policy in key domains of culture was, intentionally or otherwise, left in the dark for years due to theoretical considerations incompatible with religious-revolutionary culture.
Conventional wisdom demands a faith-based political system should chart out cultural policies and practices, and unlike secular regimes simply cannot afford to remain indifferent vis-ˆ-vis major cultural issues and their effect on the society at large.
It is a foregone conclusion that even secular political systems, despite their claim of religious neutrality and equality of all faiths, do not neglect the issue of determining and ’setting’ the cultural course of the nation.
A case in point is the French government’s confused and controversial attitude toward Muslim women’s dress codes. Paris is willing to invest millions to advertise the dress code acceptable to its rulers, but has taken an irresponsible stance against the Islamic Hijab preferred by sections of France’s 7-million strong Muslim population.
Now that our authorities have taken a major first step, they should do their best to continue and endure this lofty initiative. Cultural policymaking has its own requirements and implications, and the weeklong Tehran exhibition and the workshop were held in line with this notion.
Those who for almost two decades negated the concept of the establishment’s interference in cultural realms, propose the so-called formula of ’theory-recommendation’ for managing cultural affairs. But the correct approach is to draw on such prescriptions as one role model among others.
Implementing models recommended by the state or government does not necessarily require that the government go out of its way to do so. It suffices if the government does its share of supervision in the implementation phase.
When the government sets prudent guidelines, mass media will naturally take responsibility for promoting it effectively in the society. Other sectors will also rise to the occasion and help implement the models within the framework of existing policies and under government supervision.
When government bodies become active promoting decent and acceptable apparel in our society, the private sector will also be encouraged to do likewise.
The experience of other Islamic nations including Lebanon, Malaysia and Algeria in designing dress codes for Muslim women can and should be shared for better results.
Some social experts in the country believe that the chador (head to toe veil) is the most superior model for Muslim women. Policy and decision makers must transcend recommending and promulgating dress codes and should also take into consideration models that have been popular and well received by the public. Design, production and distribution of apparel and decent attire constitute a package and demand support and supervision of those in charge.
The fact that the exhibition attracted large numbers despite the little publicity shows that our womenfolk and entire families care for healthy, chaste, attractive and diverse dress codes.
Nevertheless, one question often asked is whether or not the existing clothing market in Iran is really the place to pick and choose a suitable dress.
It is generally claimed that many of those involved in the design, production and supply of apparel are either culturally or economically corrupt, or both. Retailers do not play a big role in the market and this itself calls for government responsibility in supervising the entire process. It is not acceptable that some demand the government shoulder the heavy burden of controlling the quality and price of food and other consumer items, but hang on excuses such as ’market mechanisms’ when it comes to overseeing cultural products, especially apparel, and related issues.