The Hijab Controversy: A Look Inside the Iranian Police Force
Tehran, Iran: An Iranian police officer has been reprimanded after failing to enforce the country’s dress code requiring women to cover their hair, local media reported on Monday.
In recent days, a video of a police officer in the western province of Kermanshah telling a woman that he does not consider the hijab or headscarf obligatory for women has been widely shared on social media.
“This lady wants to go out wearing this outfit… it’s none of my business,” the officer said in response to a woman who asked him to confront another woman for not wearing a hijab.
“After a thorough investigation… the officer was summoned… and received the necessary warnings and training,” Tasnim news agency said on Monday, citing a statement from Kermanshah provincial police.
The incident comes amid a nationwide protest movement triggered by the September 16 custodial death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old ethnic Kurdish woman who was arrested for allegedly violating the same dress code for women.
Hundreds of people, including security personnel, have been killed and thousands arrested during the protests, often described as “riots” by the authorities.
Since the protests began, women have increasingly been seen without the hijab in public, in many cases without a police response.
However, in January, local media reported that police had resumed enforcement of the hijab in cars, with offenders receiving a warning text message from the police.
