Law for the People, Freedom for the Powerful

The wedding ceremony of Shamkhani’s daughter reflects the existence of law for the people and freedom for those in power, a duality that has exposed the true face of the government.

The publication of images from the wedding ceremony of Ali Shamkhani, one of the senior officials of the Islamic Republic, showing women present without mandatory hijab, once again revealed the contradiction between the words and actions of Iran’s rulers. This comes just two years after Mahsa Amini’s death in police custody on charges of “improper hijab.”

A sharp letter from a group of clerics from the Qom seminary to Ali Khamenei indicates a rift and discontent even within the religious body of the government.

Last week, videos from the wedding ceremony of Ali Shamkhani, former secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, were shared on social media. The images, reportedly from a ceremony at the Espinas Palace Hotel in Tehran, show women dressed in formal attire and without headscarves celebrating.

Reactions were immediate. A group of clerics and teachers from the Qom seminary sent an open letter to the office of the Supreme Leader stating: “Holding such lavish ceremonies with decadent and tyrannical touches by high-ranking system officials tarnishes the image of Islamic governance in the eyes of society and public opinion.”

This letter, published in domestic media and on social networks, underscored concerns among part of the clergy about the growing distance between officials and the people. In cyberspace and among political observers, the subject of Shamkhani’s daughter’s wedding was seen as more than a social news item, with many viewing it as a symbol of structural hypocrisy in the government.

Social media users reacted to the published wedding videos, writing: “A girl in Tehran lost her life for a few strands of hair, but the daughters of officials dance freely and without hijab in front of cameras.”

Analysts also reminded that this same system, in the name of “preserving public morality,” has detained, threatened, or deprived thousands of women of work and education rights in recent years. In contrast, some government-affiliated media attempted to portray the ceremony as “private” and “inaccessible to the public,” and called the publication of images a “foreign conspiracy.” However, such explanations failed to convince public opinion.

This incident is not merely a cultural or family matter, but a sign of a moral legitimacy crisis in governance.

The Islamic Republic has long presented the control of women’s bodies and dress as a measure of faith and social discipline, but when the families of officials appear at lavish ceremonies indifferent to these same regulations, the message is clear: “Law is not a religious value, but a tool of domination.”

The death of Mahsa Amini and dozens of other women in subsequent protests is a reminder of the stern face of governance that criminalizes personal freedom, while circles of power claim the same freedom for themselves.

From a moral perspective, this duality is not merely hypocrisy, but a form of structural corruption that erodes public trust. When justice is applied unequally, even religion and faith lose their meaning.

Both domestic and international analysts believe that Iranian society today is more sensitive than ever to symbols of hypocrisy. From billion-dollar homes and officials’ foreign trips to expensive ceremonies during days of economic crisis, everything has become a symbol of “two lives in one country”: “The life of the majority under the pressure of law and the life of the elite, beyond the reach of that same law.”

In such an atmosphere, every image or narrative of the freedom of officials’ children quickly becomes a firsthand witness to injustice.

The story of Shamkhani’s daughter’s wedding is not just a personal event, but a mirror of a governmental structure in which power brings immunity and weakness brings punishment. When a law presented as sacred and inviolable for the people is ignored by the very lawmakers themselves, political and religious legitimacy collapses.

From Mahsa Amini until today, the Iranian people have witnessed the contradiction between “advertised piety” and “actual behavior of those in power.” As long as this duality continues, the gap between government and nation will only deepen.