TEHRAN -- Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei on Wednesday recalled the anniversary of 'the ban of the veil' imposed by Reza Khan in the Iranian 1300s (1920s), saying that Iranian women had resisted the conspiracy and tolerated lifelong hardship in order to observe their religious obligations.

Ayatollah Khamenei, in a meeting with a large group of people from the holy city of Qom, said that 'the ban on the veil' had been an attempt to oppose the religious identity of the nation.
Several people including religious figures were martyred by the deposed Shah's regime during protests against the ban.
The Supreme Leader continued, saying, ""Elections always require insight and the nation must go to the polls fully informed concerning those to be elected in the eighth Majlis election. Once again, with reliance upon the Almighty, the nation and the Islamic Republic will become victorious.""
Ayatollah Khamenei went on to say that the uprising in the city of Qom in 1978 left a lasting impact on the subsequent revolutionary movement of the people against the former regime.
The protest of 1978 was a major event in the history of the Islamic Revolution which should be kept alive, Ayatollah Khamenei said.
""It is the day on which the people of Qom expressed allegiance to the late Imam Khomeini,"" the Supreme Leader added.
The Supreme Leader also brought the month of Moharram al-Haram to people’s attention by paying tribute to Imam Hussein (AS), the third Imam of the Prophet Mohammad's (PBUH) infallible household who was martyred along with 72 of his companions on the day of Ashura.
The Supreme Leader said that Ashura has been kept alive for 1,000 years, and stressed that it symbolizes a treasury of Islamic values for mankind which when put into practice result in a life of dignity.