Interior Minister: Police Action on Hijab Has High Social Costs

One day after the Tehran prosecutor's comments on the necessity of 'military-style' actions regarding hijab, the Interior Minister emphasized that police enforcement in this area 'has very high social costs.' Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli, Iran's Interior Minister, on Saturday, August 13, during a meeting of the heads and secretaries of the 'Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice' council, referred to the 'numerous arrests' in the past year, stating that such actions leave detainees 'disheartened and hopeless,' and that police should be 'the last resort' in this matter. Rahmani Fazli noted that there were 'many arrests' in the area of 'Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice' last year, and that many individuals were detained and made to sign 'commitments.' He added, 'These individuals are supposed to get married or find jobs in the future... They become hopeless and disheartened because they are worried about their cases.' Officials from Hassan Rouhani's government have previously criticized police actions regarding issues like hijab, with Rouhani himself emphasizing that 'culture cannot be built with vans, minibuses, police officers, and soldiers.' On April 20, the Iranian president also opposed the idea of 'covert patrols.' Conversely, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader, has urged police commanders to disregard 'opposition from some individuals or media propaganda' and to carry on with their work in implementing the 'moral security' plan. In this context, Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi, the Tehran prosecutor, also emphasized that 'while the best solution in the area of chastity and hijab is cultural actions,' the impact of 'confrontational and penal measures' or 'military-style actions' in combating 'crimes against public decency and morality' should not be overlooked. He accused officials from both Hassan Rouhani's government and the previous administration of undermining the 'serious resolve' of other agencies to address 'social harms.' During the same meeting, Hossein Sajedi-Nia, the commander of Greater Tehran Police, stated that the hijab situation has 'gradually worsened over the past 15 years.' He also reported the closure of over 4,400 clothing units offering 'indecent and morally offensive clothing.' In recent weeks, some conservative media have severely criticized the sale of coats with English words printed on them and 'ripped' pants, while police officials and clothing union leaders in various provinces of Iran have reported the collection of these coats. In this context, Saeed Montazer al-Mahdi, the police spokesman, stated that these coats are being 'smuggled' into the country, although some clothing union officials claim that such coats are 'produced in Iran by modeling foreign examples.' In the past year, Tehran police have closed 'over 4,400 clothing units.'