The Reaction of the People of Gilan against the Law of Unification of Clothing and the Discovery of Hijab Focusing on the First Pahlavi Period and the Beginning of the Second Pahlavi

One of the most important and challenging cultural and social measures of the first Pahlavi period was the removal of the hijab and the alteration of Iranian women’s attire. This action was implemented with the intention of modernizing Iranian society and implementing the western development model. The veil removal law’s imposition by​ the government on the people with the aim of removing the veil, in contrast to the requirements and national and religious values of Iranian society, resulted in widespread opposition from a variety of social groups. The study of this part of the contemporary history of Iran provides a clear picture of the cultural policies of the Pahlavi period and how the Iranian society faced it. This research endeavors to examine the manner in which the inhabitants of Gilan encountered the veil removal law by employing a descriptive and analytical methodology and utilizing documents from the Pahlavi period. Despite the fact that the results of this research do not corroborate the findings of previous studies regarding the absence of significant resistance from the people of Gilan against the veil removal law, they demonstrate that the requisite ground and platform for the acceptance of veiling in Gilan, as well as in other regions of Iran, are not present. They have demonstrated opposition to this action, which is incompatible with the culture and identity of Iranian society. Despite the fact that a portion of the social classes, particularly the intellectuals and aristocratic classes, embraced Pahlavi’s actions and social reforms, it encountered resistance from a substantial portion of the populace and scholars as a result of the cultural conditions and social structures that governed Iranian society, ultimately leading to its failure.