In the midst of a highly anticipated interview with the president of Iran, Christiane Amanpour left the room.
Given that the interview was conducted on American soil, the anchor "politely rejected" to don a head scarf.
Her choice is in line with a tradition of female journalists refusing to wear the attire for interviews.
After declining to don a head scarf, CNN's chief international anchor Christiane Amanpour left a rare and eagerly awaited interview with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on Wednesday.
In the midst of continuous demonstrations in Iran over the murder of Mahsa Amini, 22, who passed away in police custody after being detained on suspicion of violating the hijab laws, Amanpour made her choice.Amanpour claimed on Twitter that Raisi arrived late for the New York interview and was given a last-minute request to wear a head scarf by one of the president's staffers.
"An assistant arrived 40 minutes after the scheduled start time of the interview. He claimed that the president had advised me to cover my hair because it was the holy months of Muharram and Safa "Thursday saw tweets from Amanpour. "I respectfully declined. We're in New York, where there is neither a custom nor a law governing head scarves. When I spoke with them outside of Iran, I emphasized that no prior Iranian president had demanded this."According to the president's assistant, wearing a head scarf was a "matter of respect" and the interview "would not happen if I did not," Amanpour reported.
Although Raisi, who spoke at the UN General Assembly on Wednesday, did not specifically address the topic of headscarves, he had earlier said that he had been in touch with Amini's family in the midst of ongoing protests over the young woman's passing.He replied, "I believe like this incident happened to one of my loved ones because your daughter is like my own daughter."
The situation involving Amanpour is not the first time a journalist has objected to wearing attire that is required for women in Iran.
During the height of the revolution in 1979, the late Italian writer Oriana Fallaci, who was renowned for her frank encounters with world leaders, met with Iran's Ayatollah Imam Khomeini. That year, the New York Times published the interview.According to a New Yorker profile of the journalist titled "Agitator," Fallaci started challenging some of the Ayatollah's actions as soon as the reporter entered Khomeini's home in a chador, a long piece of clothing that leaves only the face exposed. These actions ranged from the crackdown on scrutinizing newspapers to summary executions.
The Ayatollah was immediately questioned by Fallaci about the women's clothing: "Tell me, why do you force them to hide themselves, all bundled up behind these uncomfortable and ludicrous robes, making it hard to work and move around?"
According to Khomeini, "The women who participated in the revolution were and still are those who wear Islamic clothing, not the attractive women you see walking around all dolled up and carrying a trail of men after them. Coquettes who dress up and parade down the street flaunting their necks, hair, and body types did not take up arms against the Shah. None of them ever performed anything honorable."
Fallaci then said, almost submissively, "By the way, how do you swim in a chador?"
Khomeini exploded and exclaimed, "You shouldn't worry about this. It's none of your business what we do. You are not required to wear Islamic clothing if you don't like it."
"You are so thoughtful, Imam. I'm going to remove this idiotic, medieval rag now since you said so "Fallaci uttered.
Fallaci claimed that Khomeini "acted insulted" and departed the interview at that moment in an email to The New Yorker.
She told the magazine, "I had to wait 24 hours (or 48?) to meet him again and finish the interview.
Khomeini's son Ahmed informed her when she was free to go again that his father was still unhappy and had asked her not to repeat the word "chador." But the journalist didn't back down. The tape recorder switched back on, and she went right back to the issue with Khomeini, according to The New Yorker.
Fallaci told the magazine that the man initially gasped when he saw her. "Absolute amazement His lips then began to move in a smirk. The smile that had been only a shadow then materialized. It eventually turned into a laugh. Yes, he laughed. After the interview, Ahmed leaned in close and said, "Believe me, I never saw my father laugh. You may be the only person on earth, in my opinion, who could have made him laugh."
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