religion
Iran tightens controls against headscarf violations
Women with and without headscarves are out and about in Tehran. photo
© Arne Immanuel Bänsch/dpa
In the shadow of the escalation in the Middle East, Iran’s moral watchdogs have begun new, strict controls on Islamic dress codes. Women in metropolises are alarmed.
Iran’s notorious moral watchdogs are once again taking stricter action against headscarf violations. After the nationwide police operation began last Saturday, numerous women reported increased controls in major cities. Videos on social media showed moral police units in busy squares in the center of the capital Tehran, as well as the dreaded minibuses used to transport young women after flouting Islamic dress codes.
Eyewitnesses confirmed the tightened controls, which came in the shadow of recent military tensions in the Middle East. “The start of the new plan sparked concern and hatred,” says a 27-year-old in Tehran. She considers the controls to be symbolic, intended to incite fear. A 22 year old said, Women might now wear their headscarves in front of the moral guardians, “but it will make people hate the hijab and the system.” A religious woman also thought the new police action was wrong: “This plan will only cause tension and conflict. Nobody became Muslim through coercion, coercion and threats, and not even through wearing the headscarf.”
New law imposes draconian penalties
Since the mass protests led by women in autumn 2022, the moral watchdogs had monitored less strictly – also because they experienced more resistance. Instead, security authorities have increased violations using video surveillance. For example, women’s cars were arrested after they were caught driving without a headscarf on several occasions. The authorities also tracked online violations, which usually include images of women without headscarves on Instagram. Shops and restaurants whose customers ignored dress codes were ordered closed.
Since autumn 2022, more and more Iranian women have been ignoring the strict clothing regulations. Religious hardliners are trying to fight this. A new law imposes draconian penalties. The reform has already been passed by Parliament, but has still not come into force. In the coming weeks, a revised version will be presented again to the so-called Guardian Council, an ultra-conservative control body.
The protests were triggered by the death of the young Iranian Kurdish woman Jina Mahsa Amini. Moral watchdogs had arrested the young woman because of an allegedly ill-fitting headscarf. A UN commission of experts concluded that physical violence following her arrest led to her death.