Amusement centre in Tehran closed after photo of a female employee without hijab went viral on social media. Twitter/@AlinejadMasih.
Tehran: The situation in Iran does not seem to have changed. Women continue to become victim of morality police if they fail to adhere to Islamic dress code. Also, a statement by Attorney General Mohammad Jafar Montazeri over the weekend saying that Gasht-e Ershad (or morality police) has been disbanded appears to be mere words.
“Morality police hasn’t been abolished. It was an absolute lie,” Iranian activist Masih Alinejad said. She also shared an image of a young woman working at an amusement centre in Tehran without covering her head with hijab and said that a case has been registered against her.
“This is the real news in Iran; Amusement centre in Tehran was closed yesterday (Sunday) after this photo of its employee without hijab went viral on social media. Tehran’s prosecution has opened a case against her,” Alinejad tweeted.
Local media reports said that the amusement part at a Tehran shopping centre was close by the judiciary because its operators were not wearing the hijab properly.
Iranians call for 3-day strike
Shops in several Iranian cities were shut on Monday, following calls for a three-day nationwide strike called by protesters seeking fall of clerical rules.
The country has been witnessing massive protests following the death of 22-year-old Iranian Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini on 16 September in police custody. She was detained by the morality police for wearing tight trousers and a loose headscarf.
After Mahsa Amini’s, the Iranian government denied that she was assaulted and accused the US and Israel of orchestrating the protests across country.
Also Read: ‘Pure propaganda’ say activists, as suspense prevails over abolition of morality police in Iran
The regime in Iran continued to crack down on anti-hijab protesters, leading to more than 400 deaths and 18,000 arrests. However, this did not stop people from marching on the streets and holding anti-government rallies.
Uncertainty over abolition of Iran morality police
There has been uncertainty over the status of Iran’s morality police after Attorney General Mohammad Jafar Montazeri suggested that it has been disbanded but there has been no confirmation from the Interior Ministry which oversees the force.
Notably, since 1979 Islamic Revolution, Iran has had various forms of “morality police”. The latest – known formally as Gasht-e Ershad – is currently the agency tasked to put into force Iran’s Islamic code of conduct.
They began their patrols in 2006 to enforce the dress code which mandates women to wear long clothes and forbids shorts, ripped jeans and other clothes deemed immodest.
As per the Iranian law, all women above the age of puberty must have their head covered properly and must wear loose clothing in public.
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