The chador as a symbol of fear during Khomeini's insurrection

During Ayatollah Khomeini's insurrection against the Shah in the fall of 1979, educated Muslim women protestors wore the chador as a political symbol in support of Khomeini. This article explores the reactions of middle-class, educated Jews in Shiraz to the resurgence of the chador. For the Jews, the chador represented a return to their debased status as a najes (unclean, polluted) religious minority. They feared that an impending Islamic regime would revive the Shi'ite regulations against them that the Shah and his father had overturned.
In the fall of 1978, the anti-Shah insurrection, guided from afar by Ayatollah Khomeini, gained momentum. As they demonstrated in the streets, many educated, non-religious Muslim women protesters wore the [...]