Controversy Grows Over Leaked Wedding Video
"Private Gathering of Women Only," Officials Claim
Anti-Government Protests Erupted Over the Hijab in 2022
In Iran, where women are required by law to wear hijabs in public places, there have been incidents in which women were arrested and died in custody for not properly wearing the hijab. Amidst this, controversy has erupted after the daughter of a high-ranking official was spotted at her wedding not only without a hijab but wearing a dress that fully exposed her shoulders. On October 21, Yonhap News, citing foreign media such as Iran International, reported that a video of the wedding of the daughter of Ali Shamkani, political advisor to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has ignited heated debate within Iranian society.
In Iran, where women are required to wear hijabs in public places, a controversy has erupted after the child of a high-ranking official was seen wearing a dress that fully exposed her shoulders at her wedding, while there have been cases of women being arrested and dying in custody for not properly wearing the hijab. X (X)
In a video posted on social networking services (SNS), Shamkani's daughter is seen entering the banquet hall arm-in-arm with her father, wearing a white wedding dress. The wedding dress features a strapless design with a deeply cut neckline. Despite the presence of many guests, Shamkani's daughter wore only a veil on her head and did not wear a hijab. This stands in stark contrast to other women at the wedding, who were all wearing hijabs.
It is known that Shamkani's daughter held her wedding ceremony last April at the Espinas Palace Hotel in Tehran. The video is believed to have been leaked belatedly after the wedding, though it is unclear how it was leaked. There are only rumors: that a guest's mobile phone was stolen and the footage leaked, or that a former associate of Shamkani deliberately distributed the video to embarrass him. Some even suggest that Israel, which is hostile to Iran, may have hacked the phone. Regardless of the source, the video has reignited controversy over the double standards of Iran's elite.
Despite anti-government protests over hijab rules, Iran's punishment regulations remain unchanged
Iran's criminal law mandates that women must wear hijabs in public spaces. In 2022, the death of Mahsa Amini-who was taken into custody by the morality police for allegedly not wearing her hijab properly-sparked nationwide anti-government protests, but the punishment regulations have not changed. On the contrary, the Iranian government recently announced that it would deploy an additional 80,000 personnel to enforce public dress codes, citing an increase in the number of women in Tehran removing their hijabs in public.
It is known that Shamkani's daughter held her wedding ceremony last April at the Espinas Palace Hotel in Tehran. The video is believed to have been leaked belatedly after the wedding. X
Masih Alinejad, an Iranian dissident in exile, commented on SNS, "The daughter of Ali Shamkani, one of the chief enforcers of the Islamic Republic, held a lavish wedding in a strapless dress, while Iranian women are beaten for showing their hair and young people cannot even afford to get married." In addition, Ali Fathollah-Nejad, director of the Middle East and Global Order Center, criticized, "This regime preaches water but drinks wine. This incident blatantly exposes the hypocrisy inherent in the Islamic Republic and its ruling elite."
Farzan Sabet, a researcher at the Global Governance Center, noted that Western-style weddings with brides in wedding dresses are common among Iran's wealthy. However, he pointed out, "Shamkani has overseen the suppression of protests by young women demanding social freedoms, yet his own family enjoys the very social freedoms they want. This is a clear display of hypocrisy." He added, "People suspect that Shamkani and his children are deeply involved in large-scale sanction-evasion networks and are siphoning off profits from them."
However, some pro-government figures defended Shamkani's daughter, claiming that only women were present in the banquet hall at the time, so her attire was not an issue. Former Minister of Cultural Heritage Ezzatollah Zarghami dismissed the controversy, saying, "It was a completely private gathering of women. The scene simply shows the bride's father, following custom, bowing his head as he places his daughter's hand in the groom's." When questioned by local reporters about the wedding video controversy, Shamkani responded with profanity, saying, "I'm still alive."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
