Iran authorities announced on Sunday that morality police will resume the controversial street patrols enforcing the dress code requiring women to wear headscarves and clothes with loose fitting. On Sunday, the morality police could be seen patrolling the streets of Tehran in marked vans.
Since 2006, special police units formally known as the Guidance Patrols (Gasht-e Ershad) have been tasked with enforcing morality rules under Iranian law, which is based on the country’s interpretation of Sharia, that women must cover their hair with a hijab (headscarf) and wear long, loose-fitting clothing to disguise their figures.
After the death of Mahsa Amini, many women and girls burnt their headscarves and waved them in the air at anti-establishment demonstrations. While some stopped wearing headscarves altogether. Several Iranian celebrities joined the protests, including prominent directors and actors from the country’s celebrated film industry.
However, Iran authorities tried to enforce the dress code using other measures while the morality police patrols were paused, but they were met with contempt on social media and open hostility on the streets. Yet, several Iranian actresses were detained after appearing in public without the hijab or expressing support for the protests.
According to France 24, on Saturday, police arrested Mohammed Sadeghi, a young and relatively unknown actor, in a raid on his home that he appears to have broadcast on social media. Earlier, he had posted a video in response to another online video showing a woman being detained by the morality police. “Believe me, if I see such a scene, I might commit murder,” was his comment. He was said to have been arrested for encouraging people to use weapons against the police.
