Headscarf requirement in Iran: Iran: Guideline for Islamic dress code adopted

A new guideline for the Islamic dress code for women has been passed in Iran. According to the news agency Isna, the decision of the so-called Supreme Cultural Council was communicated to the authorities, the police and the morality police. According to observers, the guideline will ensure that women continue to be strictly monitored for compliance with the dress code, especially for wearing the headscarf.

In recent months, controls, some of which were violent, have led to fierce criticism at home and abroad and were also one of the main issues in the presidential election campaign. The eventual winner, Massoud Peseschkian, also criticized the controls carried out by the moral police and promised the women that they would stop immediately.

However, it is questionable whether the moderate Peseschkian will be able to prevail in this regard. The parliament, which is dominated by hardliners, has been working for months on a draft law that will introduce even tougher measures and draconian penalties for violations of Islamic dress codes.

Since the women’s movement in September 2022, the Islamic system and its morality police have taken a tougher approach to controlling Islamic dress codes. Women without headscarves are initially warned. If they ignore the warnings, they are arrested and taken to the police station.

The protests were triggered by the death of the young Iranian Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini. Because a few strands of hair were visible under her headscarf, she was arrested by the morality police and died in police custody.