Iranian Women Defy Hijab Laws during Mourning Month of Muharram

Women and girls in Iran continue to defy mandatory headscarf laws during the traditional mourning month of Muharram, despite an intensifying clampdown on violations of the Islamic Republic’s strict dress code for women.

Muharram will culminate in Ashura on July 28, the holiest day on the Shia calendar, when worshipers traditionally gather for large demonstrations of high-scale mourning to mark the death of Hossein ibn Ali, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, during the seventh-century Battle of Karbala.

This year, videos shared on social media ahead of the religious festival show that many women continue to appear in public without hijab, in an act of defiance against the ideology and laws of the Islamic Republic.

A clip surfaced on July 27, the ninth day of Muharram, depicting women in a Tehran metro station without head coverings while a religious lamentation is being broadcast.

Another clip emerged showcasing women without hijab sitting in a cafe in Tehran's Fareshteh Street despite the presence of mourners chanting nearby.

Supporters of the Islamic Republic, Friday imams and radical clerics have urged security institutions to take aggressive measures against women flouting the compulsory hijab rules during Muharram.

On July 26, Hamshahri Online quoted influential Iranian cleric Hossein Ansarian as saying: "The enemy aims to strip Muslim women and girls half-naked and throw them into banks, schools, parks, universities, and offices."

Earlier this month, Morality Police patrols returned to the streets of Iranian cities to enforce compulsory veiling, as a growing number of women have appeared in public without hijab since nationwide protests erupted in September last year.

Some defiant women have been arrested, summoned by the authorities and faced legal cases, while small businesses and shopping malls have been shut down for purportedly failing to enforce hijab rules on their customers.