The reality is quite different, today.
The legal requirements in the Qur'an are not as clear Muslims think, because a large amount of interpretations are used. The law being implemented may be thought to protect the women, but instead cross over the line of oppressing the women, when it begin to punish women for what they wear or don't wear on their heads.
I agreed that the decision to wear the hijab should lay with the woman's decision. I don't deny that and I won't deny a woman's choice.
My problem is when a family, community, religion, law or government decide to punish a woman who choose not to wear it, or wear one but one of the above ridiculously deem it to be too short or doesn't cover enough.
If you think it is only the Iranian president and his government, then you are wrong...well you're only partially right. Many of the Islamic clerics who advise the president are demanding restrictions to be in place, and punishing those young women who either don't wear ones or don't wear the right ones.
The Iranian president, government and clerics are saying that they are doing for the women's protection, but it is not - it is all about power and control over these Iranian women. Another example is the Talibans, where women were being flogged for not covering their whole heads.
What is really sickening with these countries is that when a rape do occur, they don't look at what the rapist have done, but what a woman was wearing at that time, as if any head-scarf or veil would stop a rape, and then punishing the woman instead of the rapist. Whether this is Islamic law or not, Islam will and have suffer because of the oppressive nature of the law.
The questions therefore is what REALLY DO THE QUR'AN say about covering head or face?
And is there anything in the Qur'an say that a woman who don't wear one should be punished? And if it doesn't say anything about punishing women, then where is it coming from?