Headscarf compulsion in Iran - Iran: Islamic clothing regulation passed
In Iran, a new regulation for the Islamic dress code for women has been issued. The decision of the so-called highest cultural council was reportedly conveyed to the authorities, police, and morality police. The regulation is said to ensure that women continue to be strictly monitored in adhering to the dress code, particularly wearing the headscarf.
Partly violent checks in the past few months have drawn heavy criticism both domestically and internationally and were also a major theme in the presidential campaign. Even the later winner, Massud Peseschkian, criticized the morality police checks and promised women to stop them immediately.
However, it is questionable whether the moderate Peseschkian will be able to implement this. The parliament, dominated by hardliners, has been working on a legislative draft for months, which provides for harsher measures and draconian penalties for violations of Islamic clothing regulations in the future.
Since the women's movement in September 2022, the Islamic system and its morality police have taken a more rigorous course in enforcing the Islamic dress code. Women without headscarves are first warned. If they disregard the warnings, they are arrested and taken to the police station.
The trigger for the protests was then the death of the young Iranian Kurd, Mahsa Amini. She was arrested by the morality police because a few hair strands were visible under her headscarf. In police custody, she died.
- The new directive from the President of Iran involves stricter enforcement of the Islamic dress code, including the headscarf requirement for women.
- The controversy surrounding the morality police checks has extended to the recent election in Teheran, with the topic significantly impacting the presidential campaign.
- Despite promising to halt the checks upon winning the election, President Iran, Massud Peseschkian, may face challenges in implementing this change due to the hardline-dominated parliament's support for harsher Islamic clothing regulations.
- The new regulation also includes potential draconian penalties for violations of the Islamic dressing code, as proposed in the legislative draft being worked on by the parliament.
- The Islamic system in Iran, following September 2022's women's movement, has been seen to take a stricter approach in enforcing the dress code, with Isna reporting arrests of women for disregarding warnings about headscarf violations.
- The highly publicized tragic death of Mahsa Amini, an Iranian Kurd, has been a catalyst for public outrage, as she was arrested and allegedly died in police custody due to the morality police enforcing a strict headscarf requirement.
