Why is Iran’s ‘morality police’ back on the streets?

By Syed Zafar Mehdi

TEHRAN, Iran (AA) – Some 10 months after Mahsa Amini’s death and the subsequent outpouring of anger, the security force at the heart of the controversy – the so-called morality police – is back on Iran’s streets.

This past Sunday, Saeid Montazeralmahdi, a law enforcement spokesperson, confirmed that officials will be enforcing the mandatory headscarf, or hijab, requirement, warning that those “who are adamant on breaking the norms” will face legal action.

The announcement came after reports that vans of the Gasht-e Ershad, “guidance patrol” or “morality police,” have been roaming around in multiple Iranian cities in recent weeks, albeit with a different approach.

“Some video clips shared on social media showed policemen in plainclothes confronting women without proper hijab,” Arash Javadi, a journalist in the central Isfahan province, told Anadolu.

He said they seemed to have changed their approach and were “not using force,” as such measures have proven to be “counterproductive.”

Montazeralmahdi contended that the decision to resume patrols was based on the “demands of people and social groups and institutions,” as well as the “emphasis of the government and judiciary.”

The news immediately sparked uproar, with the office of the US special envoy for Iran saying it was “concerned by reports that Iran’s so-called morality police are again cracking down to enforce mandatory hijab.”

“It seems the regime has learned nothing from the protests. Women and girls everywhere should be allowed to wear whatever they want,” it said in a Twitter post.

- New bill and reactions

The resumption of patrols, observers say, is linked to the “Chastity and Hijab” bill introduced in the Iranian parliament in May, which seeks to enforce the mandatory dress code.

The bill proposes fines for those not observing the mandatory dress code, but does not recommend harsher penalties.

Mohammad Dehghan, the Iranian president’s deputy for legal affairs, told local media in late May that the government does not want “further divides and disputes.”

Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bager Qalibaf, addressing a public gathering in Tehran on Sunday, said the legislature discussed various aspects of the “important” bill.

Currently, the legal and cultural commissions of the parliament are examining the bill before it will be made public, he said.

He said many public institutions in the country have failed to implement the laws related to the enforcement of mandatory hijab, which were introduced after the 1979 revolution.

On Tuesday, Iran’s newly appointed police chief Gen. Ahmadreza Radan commended his force for helping implement the rules.

Observers told Anadolu that the full implementation of the plan “will take time,” as the parliament is still discussing its pros and cons “to make sure the events of last year are not repeated.”

“What happened last year was unfortunate, and even officials realized it, which was evident from the way the so-called morality police swiftly disappeared from the streets and hijab norms were also gradually relaxed,” said a security affairs analyst, who did not want to be named due to the sensitive nature of the issue in Iran.

“So, it won’t be the same way this time around.”

- Surveillance plan ‘didn’t work’

The decision to deploy police patrols comes three months after a plan was unveiled to use “smart surveillance systems” to enforce hijab rules across the country.

The plan, Iranian police said at the time, aimed to “prevent the violation” of hijab norms, and came amid outcry from the country’s powerful clergy and pro-hijab demonstrations in some cities.

According to observers, the move has not worked out the way the authorities wanted as many women still opt to be in public without headscarves.

“It didn’t work and that’s very clear,” Daniyal Fereydoun, an analyst and researcher based in Tehran, told Anadolu.

Days before the surveillance scheme was announced, President Ebrahim Raisi said the government was looking to resolve the issue “from a cultural point of view,” while blaming the “enemy” for turning it into a “security issue.”

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei also backed the plan, describing the hijab as a “religious and legal restriction,” and urging authorities to ensure strict implementation of the law.

The mandatory hijab rule came into force in Iran immediately after the 1979 revolution, while the Gasht-e Ershad was set up in 2006, during ex-President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s tenure.

The force hit the headlines in September last year after 22-year-old Amini died in its custody after being arrested in Tehran because she allegedly had some hair visible under her headscarf.

Her death sparked massive protests in Iran, which were marred by violence that claimed hundreds of lives, while thousands were arrested in Tehran and other cities, including Amini’s hometown in the western Kordestan province.

- Disbanding the morality police?

In December 2022, Iran’s attorney general whipped up a storm after saying that the morality police had been “put to a standstill.”

State media was quick to reject the claim, suggesting that the force was still operational but temporarily deactivated.

“In recent months, as protests have subsided and the presence of morality force has waned, calls have grown from the powerful clergy about enforcing the mandatory hijab rules,” Javadi told Anadolu.

That is because the “relaxed dress codes” are gradually becoming “the new norm,” he added.

On Sunday, Iranian actor Mohammad Sadeqi was arrested after he took to Instagram to urge women to take up weapons against the police.

Mizan News Agency, which is affiliated with the Iranian judiciary, said he was accused of “instigating violence through unconventional and unlawful comments online.”

The incident came a week after a court prohibited popular actor Azadeh Samadi from using social media directly or through intermediaries for six months for allegedly attending a colleague’s funeral without the mandatory veil. It also ordered her to undergo treatment for “antisocial personality disorder” at “official psychological centers.”

In recent months, there have also been multiple reports of small businesses in Tehran and other major cities being shut down for not turning away women without headscarves.

“Iranian authorities won’t be totally indifferent to the issue, which is clear from statements made by top political and military leaders in recent weeks and months,” said Fereydoun.

“It all comes down to how they go about it.”