From Mrs Behi: In Iran the matter of wearing headscarf or "Hijab" is somehow complicated. In this country the type of Iranian women in this subject can be categorised into three levels: Religious, nonreligious and… I really don’t know what I can name the third group.
The foundation of the religious ones is based on some pictures from “Shah period” like: unrestrained relationships, some drunken people without following any ethical beliefs that they could freely walk on the streets and made trouble for women, very low-level Persian movies which were destroying their original culture, I personally don’t have a very specific comment about the level of exaggerating this perception but I think some of those conditions that were present in old times are still around! I know many women who create a direct link between staying spiritual and keeping distant from any thing could call the “Shah time”, so they believe Hijab is a very welcoming action which protects them and keeps society safe from dirty atmosphere.
Another type belongs to women who have been or heard of that period but their sight is completely diverse like: the sense of freedom about wearing whatever you wish, drinking whatever you want, many new things that had been applied and established for the first time at that period such as: cinemas, a fast improvement in music field, academic education for women. Good reputation that we had in all over the world for Iran and in one word: development, so every thing that has the symbol of restricted religious rules sounds staying left behind from civilised world, so Hijab from their point of view is rejected completely.
The last non-named ones are the women who follow it because they fall into the habit of doing it or because their husbands or fathers want them to apply it.
I personally prefer to use a normal headscarf in this period of time of Iran because of two reasons: 1. I have to because I don’t have any other choices and not applying is considered as an illegal behaviour. 2. I think the attitude of many of Iranian men is not normal when a lady wears a kind of free dressing and I cannot stand their curious stare and their unbearable flirting attitude towards women when they walk in the streets and therefore I feel more comfortable with Hijab. Maybe time will resolve this problem but I’m not so sure if it requires a long long time.