Air France female flight attendants protest against mandatory hijab in Iran
According to FCNN, a number of Air France flight attendants are protesting the company's new directive requiring passengers to wear the Islamic hijab when entering Tehran.
As reported by AFP, Christopher Pye, a representative of the flight attendants' union, confirmed the dissatisfaction of female flight attendants with the directive.
He said that female Air France flight attendants call the union office every day and say they "don't want to wear the headscarf."
French media reported that, according to a new circular from Air France, female flight attendants have been asked to wear headscarves and cover their hair when leaving the plane in Tehran.
The directive also requires female flight attendants to wear non-stick pants and jackets during flights.
Air France's direct flights from Paris to Tehran, which had been suspended since 2008, are scheduled to resume on April 17.
Starting in the middle of this month, Air France-KLM planes will fly three times a week from Paris' Charles de Gaulle Airport to Tehran's Imam Khomeini Airport.
While a representative of the flight attendants' union has called for Air France management to announce voluntary use of the hijab, the company's executives say that employees of other international airlines also comply with the hijab law on flights to Iran.
The company also announced that the requirement to wear the hijab when entering Iran was an issue that had been implemented previously, adding that this issue would also be observed in the same way when entering Saudi Arabia.
AFP also reported, citing Pye, that Air France management has also raised the possibility of fines for those who do not comply with the new clothing regulations.
According to Iranian law, wearing the Islamic hijab in public places is mandatory, and according to the approval of the Islamic Consultative Assembly in 1983, failure to do so is punishable.
