[rayiner]

(My dad’s grandfather was an imam.) That means that you can’t compel people to convert to Islam: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Baqara_256. That does not mean you can’t have binding religious law Muslims are required to follow.

That being said, the religious requirement is modest dress. Some traditions interpret that to require covering the hair or face. Other traditions do not. Hijab was uncommon in Bangladesh when my parents were growing up, but is increasingly common today due to growing cultural influence from middle eastern schools of Islam. That said, it’s worth noting that Islam is not like Protestant Christianity where lay people are supposed to interpret the meaning for themselves. Where relevant Islamic experts have spoken you’re supposed to defer to their interpretation.

[orlp]

That works until you end up with one scholar saying A and another saying B.

[ameen]

Thank you for the contextualization - but Iran’s handling is nowhere close to Islamic, not observing the hijab doesn’t take you out of the fold of Islam (also where have men been held to the hijab - covering awrah, in such places?) - the 5 pillars are the fardh, everything else is something we strive towards.

Allah SWT’s mercy is boundless, hudhud punishments can’t be enacted for something minor of this sort. Iranian government lost the plot and is using every excuse to feign legitimacy when it never had any.