Posted in the comment section of the Facebook page of Imam Ahmed Alhasan احمد الحسن: July 15, 2018
Q: I have a question to ask. In Iran, women are forced to wear hijab and if they do not do so, the government will punish them.
And this is even the case for women of other religions. For example, atheist or Christian women are forced to wear hijab. My Mawla, is the issue of enforcement of hijab by the government correct? Is there a mandatory hijab in the state of justice, and whoever doesn’t wear a hijab, even if they are not Muslim, is punished? God bless you on earth. please pray for me.
A: And may the peace, mercy, and blessings be of God be upon you, too.
God bless you, my beloved.
Their understanding of Islam is backwards, and they tarnish the reputation of Islam, the Shia, Muhammad, and his progeny with these misguided acts. The Prophet Mohammed did not force anyone to wear hijab; and God did not force anyone to wear hijab, practice religion, or worship. Rather, He sent down his religion to His Prophet and promised Paradise to those who believe and commit themselves to worship.
Worship without faith and intention has no value, and the hijab is a form of worship and obedience to the orders of God and the Prophet. So it must be achieved with the intention of getting close to Almighty God. So where is that intention when forcing the hijab [on them]? As for the non-Muslim women, forcing the hijab is even uglier.