Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Image by Getty Images

In the wake of the #MeToo campaign, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei of Iran offered Western women a suggestion: Why not try a hijab?

Khamenei tweeted on Wednesday a dramatic video of prominent women who have experienced sexual abuse. It begins with a shot of Olympic gymnast Aly Raisman testifying against Larry Nassar, the former doctor of the U.S. Olympic gymnastics team convicted of multiple sex crimes. The video went on to feature other prominent victims of sexual misconduct, including Western politicians like Elizabeth Warren. Khamenei called this a “disaster.”

The disaster of countless sexual assaults on Western women—including incidents leading to #Metoo campaign— and Islam’s proposal to resolve ithttps://t.co/ocpv1cUHPI pic.twitter.com/TV1TzFcra4

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

— Khamenei.ir (@khamenei_ir) October 3, 2018

Near the end of the nearly two and-a half-minute video, he is shown delivering a speech offering a solution: the hijab, a religious head-covering worn by Muslim women.

“By introducing hijab, Islam has shut the door on a path that would pull women toward such deviation,” he says.

Unfortunately, women in Muslim countries are not free from abuse. In Iran, for example, where wearing the hijab is compulsory, sexual harassment is still prevalent. “Men aggressively stare at me, talk to me, call me names. I feel naked, and worthless,” one woman told the Guardian.

The #MeToo movement has also spread to the country, with people sharing stories on Twitter of rape and sexual assault, according to the Tehran Times.

Alyssa Fisher is a news writer at the Forward. Email her at [email protected], or follow her on Twitter at @alyssalfisher

A message from our Publisher & CEO Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

The coming year promises to be filled with more complex and historic developments. We are entering an era where independent, fact-based Jewish journalism will be more important than ever. We need to be ready for whatever 2025 will bring, and with your help, we can be.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

With your support, we’ll be ready for whatever 2025 brings.

$36 $500

$120 $180 Other amount