Morality Police Crackdown again in Iran
TRANSCEND MEMBERS, 6 May 2024
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service
2 May 2024 – After several weeks when the attention of the Iranian government was focused on its relations with Israel after the exchanges of drones, there is a renewed activity of the morality police directed on women who do not wear a hidjab. After the death in September 2022 of Mahsa Amini at the hands of the morality police, there developed a wide-spread protest movement with the cry of “Woman, Life, Liberty.” The movement had begun in the Kurdish areas as Mahsa (Jina) Amini was an ethnic Kurd but had quickly spread to all parts of the country. The cry was taken up not only by women but also by men.
One man who took up the cry was Toomaj Salehi, a young, 33 year old singer popular on the internet media. He was first arrested for his songs in October 2022 and now in April 2024 has been sentanced to death for “corruption of the earth.” Mofsed-e-Fel’Arz is based on a Koranic text. For corruption of the earth, there is no forgiveness either in this life or the next as the soul is to stay in Gehenne (Hell).
Fortunately, the women arrested by the morality police these days are not accused of corruption of the earth. The new crackdown is codenamed “The Plan of Light”. It is understood that a woman without a hidjab is one who brings darkness – only somewhat less serious than corrupting the earth. The morality police are active in teams, some on foot, some on motorcycles and others in police vans to take the women to court. The women arrested are often accused of prostitution, and the police make sexually explicit jokes and comments.
As a result of the pressure, women are wearing the hidjab and staying out of public view. However, many may still be thinking “Woman, Life, Liberty”.
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René Wadlow is a member of the TRANSCEND Network for Peace Development Environment. He is President of the Association of World Citizens, an international peace organization with consultative status with ECOSOC, the United Nations organ facilitating international cooperation and problem-solving in economic and social issues, and editor of Transnational Perspectives.
Tags: Iran
This article originally appeared on Transcend Media Service (TMS) on 6 May 2024.
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