The decree mandating the unveiling of Iranian women (Kashf-e Hijab) is regarded as one of the most significant and controversial cultural policies of the First Pahlavi state. The implementation of this policy across different regions of the country required diverse approaches and measures, shaped by varying social, cultural, and ethnic contexts. As one of Iran’s major ethnic regions, the Arab community of Khuzestan was directly exposed to the enforcement of this decree. The main question of this study is how the unveiling policy was practically pursued within the Arab society of Khuzestan and what kinds of reactions it elicited among this ethnic community. Adopting a historical approach and drawing on primary sources—including archival documents, administrative correspondence, and periodicals from the First Pahlavi era—this research examines both the mechanisms of policy implementation and local responses. The findings indicate that government agents relied primarily on two strategies to enforce the unveiling policy in Khuzestan: first, the use of formal state institutions, particularly administrative bodies and the official education system; and second, reliance on local sheikhs and elites who, depending on their social position, political considerations, and material interests, in some cases cooperated with the policy. The results also demonstrate that the reactions of the Arab community of Khuzestan were far from uniform, encompassing a wide spectrum of behaviors ranging from social disobedience and cultural resistance to withdrawal and migration to neighboring territories, especially Iraq. These responses suggest that the unveiling policy not only failed to strengthen the centralizing and identity-building project of