From the BBC:
“Iran's morality police to resume headscarf patrols”
Iranian police are resuming controversial patrols to ensure
women obey dress codes and cover their hair in public, state media reports. The
"morality police" will return to the streets to enforce Iran's hijab
laws, a spokesman said on Sunday. It comes 10 months after a young woman, Mahsa
Amini, died in custody following her arrest in Tehran for allegedly breaking
the dress code. Her death triggered massive national protests and the patrols
were paused. However, Islamic hardliners have been demanding that the patrols
be resumed for some time. Under Iranian law, which is based on the country's
interpretation of Sharia, women must cover their hair with a hijab (headscarf)
and wear long, loose-fitting clothing to disguise their figures. The morality
police unit is tasked with ensuring those rules are respected, and detaining
people who are perceived to be "improperly" dressed. During the
patrols, officers will first warn women who are not complying with the rules,
police spokesman Saeed Montazerolmahdi said, as quoted by hardline Tasnim news
agency. If they disobey orders, police may then opt for "legal
action", he added.
Mahsa Amini, 22, was visiting the capital Tehran with her
family last September when she was arrested by morality police and accused of
wearing her hijab "improperly". She collapsed after being taken to a
detention centre to be "educated". At the time, there were reports
that officers beat Ms Amini's head with a baton and banged her head against one
of their vehicles. It enraged millions of Iranians - leading to months of
violent anti-government protests across the country, that saw nearly 600
protesters killed, including several state executions.
In the months following the protests, many women stopped
wearing hijabs altogether. It was the biggest outright challenge to the rule of
the clerics in Iran since the 1979 revolution. Videos posted on social media
suggest that, until recently, the sight of women not wearing hijabs was
becoming more commonplace. But in turn, the Iranian authorities brought in
stiffer punishments, including forcing businesses to close if they did not comply
with the hijab laws. Although the protests drew out huge numbers of Iranians,
some people still staunchly support the strict dress code. Earlier this year, a
video emerged showing a man throwing a tub of yoghurt in the face of two
unveiled women. His action was met with outrage by male and female bystanders,
and he was later arrested - but so were the women. Speaking to the Reuters news
agency, university student Ismail said she did not think the authorities would
be able to reimpose the dress codes. "They cannot impose it like before -
the number of people who do not obey is too high now," she said.
"They cannot handle all of us, the last thing they can do is use violence
and force against us. They cannot do it." Iran has had various forms of
"morality police" since the revolution. This latest version, known
formally as the Guidance Patrol (Gasht-e Ershad), began their patrols in 2006. It
is unclear how many men and women work for the force, but they have access to
weapons and detention centres, as well as what are called "re-education
centres". In response to Iran's violent crackdown on protesters, the UK
and other Western countries imposed sanctions on the morality police and other
top security figures last year.
^ I hope the Ordinary Iranians (Men and Women) stand-up
against the Morality Police and the Iranian Government in this latest
crack-down. ^
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.