As per media reports, Iran has escalated its crackdown on hijab restrictions sparking backlash and concern among human rights groups and oppositions. The latest crackdown comes after the announcement of the “Nour Project”, which aims to deal with anomalies and has led to the presence of morality police in various cities. The morality police is also known as the “Gasht-e-Ershad” in Persian language
The police have been asked to promote positive behaviours and not resort to negative behaviours, but accounts from the ground report incidents of sexual harassment, beatings and tasering.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei made remarks on the significance of wearing of the Hijab. He said that maintaining the hijab is of utmost importance as the enemy intends to regress the country to a pre-revolutionary era. “I received credible reports that foreigners hired some women to break the rules in the society and appear without the hijab.”
Dina Ghalibaf, a journalist and student at Tehran’s Beheshti University was arrested from her home on April 16, 2024, after posting on social media platform X, “This is what the inside of a morality police van looks like, where they kidnap women and for not wearing the hijab. These days in Iran, the Islamic Republic is using the cover of tensions with Israel to renew its war against women.”
As the spotlight of both Iranian and international media is centred on the mounting crisis between the Islamic Republic and Israel, morality police patrols have turned out in greater numbers to enforce mandatory Hijab laws. This recent crackdown coincides with a speech given by Ali Khamenei on April 4, 2024, where he asserted that all Iranian women should comply with the states dress code regardless of their individual beliefs,” she added.
Another Iranian journalist and activist Masih Alinejad wrote on X “Heartbreaking Alert: Confrontation with the Iranian morality police leads to a woman breakdown over hijab enforcement in Tajris, Tehran. She’s assaulted and rushed to the hospital. The person who filmed this terrifying attack on her said that police also arrested some who were filming.”
“The regime in Iran is willing to kill women over the Islamic dress code, evident in the lack of punishment following the death of Mahsa Amini. I continuously hear from Iranian women that we won’t give up our fight against this oppressive regime,” she added. Reports suggest that plainclothes officers are being deployed to prevent interference due to arrests. Despite the regime’s efforts to enforce hijab laws, Iranian women continue to push back.
