Iran Police Deputy Commander Reports Action Against ‘Bad Hijab’ on Sidewalks and Cyberspace
Qasem Rezaei, deputy commander of Iran’s police force, stated that under supervision plans 3 and 4, action will be taken against those who, according to him, do not observe hijab in recreational areas, sidewalks, and cyberspace.
Speaking on Sunday, September 21, in the city of Yasuj, he linked the implementation of these plans to macro policies on modesty and hijab.
According to this senior police commander, the police force has a four-phase plan to deal with individuals whom he described as “improperly veiled.” Under supervision plan one, action is taken against “those who do not observe hijab in vehicles,” and under “supervision plan 2,” action is taken against those who are “improperly veiled or bareheaded in shopping malls and large stores.”
He did not provide further explanation on the mechanism for implementing the plan to address hijab non-compliance in cyberspace or on sidewalks, but in recent days, the mass sending of text messages related to supervision plan one, which concerns hijab observance in vehicles, has been controversial.
A significant number of social media users on Twitter and Instagram reported on September 13 that they had been summoned to “moral security police” through a text message known as “hijab violation in vehicle.” according to reports.
Among the recipients of these messages, which appear to have been sent in bulk and randomly, were users wearing chador headscarves, celebrities, and at least one cleric, who all expressed surprise at receiving such messages.
Following widespread coverage of this issue on social media, the IRNA news agency quoted an informed source in Iran’s police force as saying that the reason for sending a massive volume of “hijab violation in vehicle” text messages to citizens in a single day was a “technical malfunction” in the messaging system.
The source also emphasized that despite the recent problems, the text messages were sent individually correctly, and “none of the cases were sent without reason.”
In recent years, police authorities have reported the impoundment of tens of thousands of vehicles due to “hijab violations” and their occupants.
Source: Radio Farda
