Christiane Amanpour, anchor of Amanpour, a global affairs
interview programme on CNN International, says Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi
declined an interview with her because she refused to wear a headscarf.
She made this known in a series of posts on her Twitter page
on Thursday.
Women in Iran have been protesting over the death of Mahsa
Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish woman who was detained for breaking the hijab laws
in the country.
Amanpour said she had scheduled to interview Raisi on issues
around the protest during his visit to New York for the United Nations general
assembly (UNGA77).
However, 40 minutes after the scheduled time, she said the
president’s aide requested that she puts on a headscarf because it is the holy
month of Muharram and Safar.
Amanpour said she “politely declined” the request.
And so we walked away. The interview didn’t happen. As protests continue in Iran and people are being killed, it would have been an important moment to speak with President Raisi. 7/7 pic.twitter.com/kMFyQY99Zh
— Christiane Amanpour (@amanpour) September 22, 2022
“Protests are sweeping Iran and women are burning their
hijabs after the death last week of Mahsa Amini, following her arrest by the
‘morality police’. Human rights groups say at least 8 have been killed. Last
night, I planned to ask President Raisi about all this and much more,” she
wrote on Twitter.
“This was going to be President Raisi’s first ever interview
on US soil, during his visit to NY for UNGA. After weeks of planning and eight
hours of setting up translation equipment, lights and cameras, we were ready.
But no sign of President Raisi… 40 minutes after the interview had been due to
start, an aide came over. The president, he said, was suggesting I wear a
headscarf, because it’s the holy months of Muharram and Safar.
“I politely declined.
We are in New York, where there is no law or tradition regarding headscarves. I
pointed out that no previous Iranian president has required this when I have
interviewed them outside Iran.
“The aide made it clear that the interview would not happen if
I did not wear a headscarf. He said it was ‘a matter of respect,’ and referred
to ‘the situation in Iran’ – alluding to the protests sweeping the country.
“Again, I said that I couldn’t agree to this unprecedented
and unexpected condition.”
Amanpour added that it would have been an “important moment” to speak with Raisi amid the protests and killings in Iran.
When Adam and eve were created, no hijab was put on them, after eating the forbidden fruit, God Almighty only covered their nakedness, hijab is manmade culture of dressing, good deeds is what gets you to paradise.
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