Social media storm after foreign minister Sushma Swaraj follows Islamic dress code in Iran

In her meeting with President Hassan Rouhani, Sushma Swaraj had used a shawl to cover her head and even hands.

April 18, 2016, NewsCrunch

There is immense social media buzz on the Islamic dress code, foreign minister Sushma Swaraj, followed during her visit to Iran.

She met senior Iranian leaders on  Sunday and held discussions on several of strategic and economic issues, from Chabahar port to oil imports.

In her meeting with President Hassan Rouhani, Sushma had used a shawl to cover her head and even hands. The shawl, which was of the same colour as her light magenta saree, gave an impression that she had gone there wearing a hijab.

She was a little more relaxed in her meeting with her Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif, where she just wore a Benazir Bhutto-type head cover.

Iran mandates Islamic dress-code for men and women though the rules are not enforced as strictly s in Saudi Arabia especially for tourists and foreigners.

But in her dressing up, by deviating  from her regular attire, Sushma showed remarkable cultural sensitivity.

Over the years, Sushma has followed her own strict personal dress code, a sari-sindoor-bindi-mangalsutra combination that reflects her party’s idea of an adarsh sanskari Bhartiya nari.

On formal occasions she is also seen sporting a sadri – half-sleeved ethnic jackets – over her saree.

Sushma's Islamic dress code in Iran did not go unnoticed. This is how Twitter reacted to what she wore.

Social media storm after foreign minister Sushma Swaraj follows Islamic dress code in Iran