Police have dealt with 28,234 cases of hijab violations in the northern province of Gilan since the start of the New Year (March 21), the Mehr News Agency has reported, citing Gilan’s police chief Mohammad Reza Eshaghi.
Commander Eshaghi made the remarks at a large gathering held in the provincial capital Rasht on June 4. Many of Gilan’s senior officials, clerics, academics and police and security commanders spoke at the event.
“Police has formally warned 2,321 girls and women so far for violating the hijab law. These individuals have given written guarantees that they will abide by the hijab law,” Mr. Eshaghi said. “The prosecutor’s office has filed criminal charges against another 63 women.”
Rasht’s Friday Prayer leader Ayatollah Rasul Falahati, who also spoke at the event, said: “Neglecting religious principles and Islamic values will lead to the demise of Iranian society. We are, unfortunately, witnessing the breakdown of our communities and culture. There is an alarming disregard for chastity and hijab these days. Some people blatantly promote easing the hijab law. They should know that our society does not tolerate these immoral and offensive behaviors.”
Another speaker, Mohammad Abdollahpour, the provincial commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps’ Qods Force (IRGC-QF), said: “A special Basij morality unit of 2,000 volunteers will patrol the streets in Gilan soon. We must develop a rational, intelligent, and effective strategy to enforce the hijab law.”
[Translated from Persian by Fardine Hamidi]
