NOW AND THEN

Re By Burning Their Head Scarves, Iranian Women Are Restoring Their Voices (Sept. 27): Iran is one of my favourite places to visit.

Before my trip in 2010, I found a local shop that sold me a headscarf and band, and showed me how to assemble a hijab. (They were consultants for the television show Little Mosque on the Prairie.)

In Tehran, most women showed hair except schoolgirls. I reverted to my Tilley hat once we were in the mountains for a flower trip.

We visited more conventional tourist sites in 2018. I noticed more women with visible hair.

A group of tourists from northern Iran invited us to dance. Our guide refused: She would lose her job if someone saw her dancing in public, though she was not worried about the amount of hair she showed. The group told me to take off my “old-fashioned” hijab and just wear a loose scarf.

How times change with governments. Women should be allowed free choice.

Anna Leggatt Toronto