Citizens Stand Against Mandatory Hijab; Ghalibaf: Returning to 'Desired State' is Difficult

With the expansion of civil disobedience against mandatory hijab, the Speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly stated that if this situation continues, returning to what he called the 'desired state' will be difficult. Simultaneously, the Deputy for Women's and Family Affairs of the President expressed ignorance regarding Ibrahim Raisi's role in the return of morality police to the streets. Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf defended the 'Chastity and Hijab' bill in a gathering of Basij women, labeling non-compliance with mandatory hijab as 'anomaly' and stated that if this situation continues, returning to what he termed the 'desired state' would become 'harder.' He also defended the so-called 'Chastity and Hijab' bill, adding that merely criminalizing the violation of the mandatory hijab law 'means we have acted clumsily,' and therefore, to prevent it from becoming 'hasty and immature,' the bill was approved in the parliament with a single urgency instead of two. The single urgency of the 'Support for Hijab and Chastity Culture' bill was approved in the Islamic Consultative Assembly on June 13. The Deputy for Women's and Family Affairs of Ibrahim Raisi stated regarding the news about the President's order for the return of morality police to the streets, 'We have not heard such a thing.' Ansiyeh Khazali, in response to a question about Ibrahim Raisi's order for the return of 'hijab-related patrols' in cities, said, 'I am not an executive official' and 'ask the officials of the Ministry of Interior.' Official media of the Islamic Republic reported that four young people in Tehran were arrested for taking photos without mandatory hijab in front of a mourning ceremony. These media used terms such as 'insult,' 'nudity,' and 'unveiling' to describe the fourth person who took the photo, identifying him as a 'drug dealer.' Ali Mojtahedzadeh, a lawyer, published an image of a 'violation message' sent to his wife and tweeted, 'How and on what basis has the consumption of a psychoactive drug been established for the police officer when my wife did not even speak to the officers?' This lawyer considered this message as an example of 'settling scores' that 'is being done with women in Iran regarding hijab' and emphasized that 'I will file a legal complaint regarding the false report of the officers and defamation.' Journalist Hediyeh Kimiayi stated that the ongoing violence in Iran under the guise of law by the Islamic Republic is causing women's struggles to take on new dimensions every day, with more women appearing in public without mandatory hijab. The continued crackdown on opponents of mandatory hijab; Afsaneh Bayegan was sentenced to 'treatment for mental illness.' The trial of Sepideh Gholian for 'non-compliance with the law' was canceled. Mowlavi Abdolhamid called for 'respect for women and their demands' and the freedom of political prisoners. The insistence of Islamic Republic officials on the activity of 'morality police' amid global condemnations. Punishment for opposing mandatory hijab: 10 months in prison in Semnan for Leila Bolukat's hat. Plans for gender-segregated metro in Tehran; Mehdi Chamran: segregation has been operationalized.