Insistence on 'Closure Therapy'; A Bookstore in Isfahan and a Restaurant in Tehran Were Closed

The Islamic Republic's insistence on continuing 'closure therapy' persists, and this time a bookstore in Isfahan and a restaurant in Tehran were closed; an action that observers see as aligned with a letter published by the Ministry of Interior in the newspaper Etemad, which emphasized the enforcement of mandatory hijab on business owners. This requirement is being ignored by businesses, leading to closures and legal cases against them. The news website 'Hrana' reported that on Sunday, December 5, the City Bookstore in Isfahan was closed by the city's 'Public Places Supervision' police due to 'non-compliance with hijab.' According to Hrana, a human rights news agency in Iran, this establishment is managed by Soroush Sehat, an actor and director. It has been reported that this business was also closed temporarily in mid-April for similar reasons. Following this trend, the 'Golden Night' café-restaurant located in Iran Mall in Tehran was also closed due to what was described as 'holding anti-cultural ceremonies and publishing images of them on social media.' Observers believe that the Islamic Republic's approach to well-known cafés and restaurants, even if the reasons are unfounded, is aimed at instilling a 'sense of fear' and 'insecurity for businesses' in society. In this regard, one of Iran's newspapers wrote on November 20 that harassment and closures under various pretexts have led café owners to bizarrely change their working hours to avoid closure, announcing the end of their operations right during peak hours in the evening. The events in Iran indicate that after the nationwide protests in September 2022 following the death of Mahsa Amini in the custody of the 'morality police,' the enforcement of mandatory hijab had weakened. However, after a year, the Islamic Republic has not only returned the 'morality police' to the streets but has also added 'hijab monitors' to subway stations, resorting to methods such as closing businesses and denying services to those who do not comply with mandatory hijab. The letter published by the Minister of Interior in Etemad indicates that the crackdown on optional hijab and the presence of hijab monitors in various parts of the city, as well as the closure of businesses, is part of a larger plan to confront the demands of a segment of society for freedom and choice regarding hijab. 'Closure therapy' in the Islamic Republic; a reception garden near Qazvin was closed. The continuation of 'closure therapy' under the pretext of hijab; a systematic violation of people's property by the government. Intensification of 'closure therapy' for businesses and services; from inns to cafés on the closure list. The continuation of 'closure therapy' in Iran under the pretext of 'hijab'; a legal expert states: it has no jurisprudential backing, nor legality. The continuation of 'closure therapy' in Iran; the Mandana cinema was closed due to 'improper hijab' of two viewers. 'Closure therapy' at the peak of crippling inflation; businesses are being penalized under the pretext of Ramadan. The 'hijab' blade at the throat of Iran's tourism industry; continuation of 'closure therapy'. 'Unveiling' was the reason for the closure of three cafés in Nowshahr.