Iran bars woman from subway, fires staff and installs CCTV cameras to enforce new hijab rule
Shabnam* was on her way to university last week when an officer prevented her from entering a subway station for not covering her hair, a violation of Iran’s new hijab plan implemented just over a week ago.
The 27-year-old old student in the north-eastern city of Mashhad is one of many women who have been deprived of services for not adhering to the hijab dress code.
On Thursday, Iranian authorities sacked the manager of a cinema after a prominent actress turned up without the mandatory hijab.
According to Iranian news agencies, the manager of the Lotus Cinema was fired for failing to enforce hijab rules following actress Pantea Bahram’s appearance without a hijab at a premiere for The Lion Skin series.
The police command issued a statement on 15 April, stating that action would be taken against women who violate hijab laws in public places, cars, and other areas where the hijab is “occasionally removed”.
The police have installed cameras in public places to identify and penalise women who are not wearing headscarves, according to state media.
“I had to cover my hair to avoid missing my class,” Shabnam told i. “Whenever I decide to leave the house, whether it’s to go to university or a nearby shop, I feel stressed.”
In Iran, it has been mandatory for women to cover their hair with a headscarf and wear loose-fitting trousers under their coats while in public since the 1979 Islamic revolution. The hijab plan makes it even more restricted.
Iranian women told i they were determined to defy the new rules.
“Every day, I think about how unrealistic it is to wake up and worry about the potential consequences of my clothing for myself and my family,” Shabnam said before bursting into tears.
There has been a growing trend of women appearing in public without the hijab since the September 2022 death in custody of Mahsa Amini, a young woman who wore her headscarf “improperly”.
This incident sparked nationwide women-led protests calling for greater freedoms and women’s rights.
Some defiant women were arrested or summoned by the authorities, while many businesses were shut down due to the failure of owners or managers to observe hijab rules.
“This small piece of fabric has become the biggest challenge of our lives,” said Nazanin*, 32, a resident of southern Ahvaz city, referring to her headscarf.
“I’ve been targeted with tear gas, arrested and humiliated, but I still don’t want to cover my hair. Their final weapon is execution, but I’m ready for the ultimate punishment.
“Yesterday, I wanted to go to a shopping mall, but a man was standing outside preventing women without hijabs from entering. Everyone was complying. I decided to not buy a pair of shoes rather than listen to a man telling me what to wear.”
Millions of Iranian men and women received a text message on their mobile phones last week warning them that the new mandatory hijab rules should be observed.
“They cannot manage it too. I know a man with long hair was fined while driving and received a bill at his house for not observing the hijab law,” said Sahar, 35, a resident of the capital Tehran.
“It may sound a bit daunting to be monitored constantly, but I really do not care and am ready for its consequences.”
According to the new plan, women who do not wear hijabs are prohibited from entering various places, such as police stations, government offices, universities, schools and even certain shopping centres and some subway stations.
“Being a woman is the toughest job in Iran,” said Sahar. “This is our chance to bring a change.”
*Names changed to protect identity
