Iranian officials have reportedly arrested a number of teenage girls and others for not wearing a hijab during a skateboarding event in Shiraz, a city in southern Iran.
A video allegedly showing Tuesday’s “Go Skateboarding Day” celebrations on Chamran Boulevard in Shiraz went viral on social media in Iran, infuriating orthodox religious conservatives in a country where all women and young girls are obligated to wear a hijab.
You want to see real courage? This. teenage girls a #Iran Disobeying the Islamic Republic’s hijab regulations and holding a gathering in Shiraz. The regime’s governor in the city says security forces have arrested some of the “norm-breaking” teenagers.pic.twitter.com/KvcQJA1s9r
— Arsen Ostrovsky (@Ostrov_A) June 24, 2022
According to Shiraz Police Commander Faraj Shojaee, quoted by the state-run IRNA news agency, several girls “removed their hijab at the end of the sporting event, disregarding religious considerations and legal norms.” “With the coordination of the judiciary, a number of perpetrators and people associated with this gathering were identified and arrested on Thursday,” he said.
“Holding mixed sporting or non-sporting gatherings without respecting religious and legal norms is prohibited … and organizers will be treated according to the law,” Shojaee added.
It is worth noting that according to Islamic law, which has been in effect in Iran since the 1979 revolution, women are required to wear a hijab that covers the head and neck, thus concealing the hair. As Iranian women struggle to be liberated and free themselves from the restrictions of the headscarf, the hijab is being exploited to spread the Islamic agenda around the world.
The hijab has been a major source of controversy in India in recent months. The Hijab controversy in Karnataka caused enough uproar and violence in the country for the authorities to step in and the judiciary to issue specific guidelines.
