A remarkable incident in Iran: a man smears two women in a store because they do not wear a headscarf

Since the death of 22-year-old Mohsa Amini in September 2022, there have been dozens of street protests across Iran against strict religious dress codes for women. They should always cover their hair in public and wear long, loose clothing that conceals their figure. Those who break the dress code run the risk of being fined or arrested.

Mahsa Amini died after being unjustly arrested by the Adab Squad because she was not wearing a headscarf properly. The official cause of her death was cardiac arrest, but according to eyewitnesses, she was severely beaten by the police.

Iranian women now want to abolish the obligation to wear the hijab in public. They protest by deliberately not wearing headscarves despite the obligation, or by setting their headscarves on fire. Until now, the protests have always been suppressed by the Iranian police. The deputy squad also asks that photos of women who break the rules be taken and sent to the front.

In the aftermath of the incident, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said on state television that all Iranian women should wear the hijab “out of a religious duty”. “It is a legal requirement, so the headscarf is a legal issue,” he was quoted as saying by the French News Agency. Earlier this week, Iran’s Interior Ministry reiterated its zero-tolerance policy.