Ahmadinejad attended the celebration for the beginning of the academic year. As always, it began with reciting Quran, I guess, which was followed by Ahmadinejad’s speech. The interesting part, and the contradicting one, for me is when elite students are recognized and presented with gifts. Fars gives a set of moderate pictures (see). Only one of those images shows a boy with short sleeves, which is a bad thing for a man to wear. When you look at the pictures which ISNA, the students’s news agency, broadcast from the event (see), things are a bit different.
A girl is greeted by Ahmadinejad and the Minister of Higher Education. Actually, there are two pictures like this in ISNA, and we have not seen any of them in the photographs taken by Fars crew. Both girls are wearing Maghnaa (Persian: مقنعه), the ultimateHijab for head and neck in the Islamic Republic eye. However, both girls seem to be completely aware of the last “Islamic” fashion. Frankly, and I have heard this from many Canadians too, if I were to select a sexy style I would select these ones, over less covered western ones. An Iranian friend of mine, who has been in Canada since five, told me “you know what, the Canadian girls are just plainly uncovered. Whereas, the Iranian ones are covered and still have their own curves here and there . They are really sexy.” So, in once sense good for Iranian girls’ genius minds!
This is interesting from another viewpoint, too. Ahmadinejad is pushing hard for forcing “Liberalism” out of the educational system of Iran. Last month he openly apologized the students because of being forced to be educated under influence of Liberal professors. So, he is not a moderate man who does not care if the “Islamic Values” are pushed aside. However, he is so genius that he knows that he can not do anything to the Iranian public. So, he tries to show a nice attitude to the public, as he also extensively did during his campaign. Then, deeply inside the administration, he pushes so hard to get rid of whatever opposes his narration of Islam.
By the way, I really think the ugly black head covering is given to the lady just before she was called on the scene. Imagine her look with a fancy less-covered colored covering!