According to state-run media outlets on July 16, Saeed Montazer al-Mahdi announced on behalf of the State Security Forces (SSF) that as of today, July 16, the police will conduct mobile and foot patrols throughout the country to deal with individuals who continue to violate social norms by wearing non-conforming clothing. The police will give warnings and if non-compliance continues, they will take legal action and refer the individuals to the judiciary.
The SSF also stated that this action is in response to the demands of the people, various social groups, and the emphasis of the President and the judiciary.
This official announcement of the morality patrols, known as “Ershad”, comes after clips and photos were circulated on social networks in the past three days depicting the patrols in action, including the arrest and threat against women and the issuance of sentences against those arrested.
In one of these clips, a police officer addresses women, saying “Either wear a headscarf or get in the van. If you believe in freedom, I will let all the thieves and thugs go unpunished so they can settle with you.”
Social media outlets have also released court documents in the past three days. In one of these documents, a woman was sentenced to washing dead bodies in a Tehran cemetery for a month and a fine of 31 million rials (approximately $62) for not wearing proper Hijab.
The Iran newspaper, linked officially to the office of the president, admitted to one of these documents, stating, “The publication of a sentence against a woman for her hijab, sentenced to one month of work in a Tehran cemetery and washing the dead corps, has surprised observers.”
At the same time, Mohammad Taqi Naghdi, a member of the regime’s Majlis (parliament), said, “The maximum level of restraint has been imposed in the hijab bill so that there is no need for further action. We cannot submit the religious verdict to a referendum.”
However, Vali Ismaili, the head of the parliamentary social commission, emphasized that the decision to restart the repressive Guidance Patrols is the decision of Raisi’s government. He said it seems unlikely that coordination has taken place with the parliament to relaunch these patrols, and the government is taking action based on the law.
Meanwhile, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the speaker of the parliament, stated that the violation of hijab must be considered a crime, and the hijab bill will be passed in two months, with its contents increasing to 60 articles so far, according to a July 16 report by the Entekhab daily.
“Improper hijab”, which is a woman not wearing the mandatory veil or even having it adjusted to show part of her hair, is considered a security threat by the mullahs and has been since they took power 40 years ago. The names of the so-called morality police have changed since 1979, from the “Sarallah Patrols” during the 1980s to the “Guidance Patrols” that were launched in 2005 to the “Ansare Hezbollah” launched by the IRGC in 2013, but their purpose has remained the same: the suppression of women.
Senior officials always mention the importance of the veil in their speeches and it is the most obvious way for the mullahs to suppress women.
With such repressions, mullahs ruling Iran aim to prevent the formation of popular uprisings like what happened last September. The sudden death of Mahsa Amini in the custody of the morality police led to months-long protests across Iran. The Iranian regime killed at least 750 people and arrested 30,000 during this uprising.
