New Restrictions for Cafes in Tehran; Customers' Hijab Must Be Acceptable; Another Excuse Will Be Raised

A Tehran-based newspaper reported on Tuesday, March 8, about new restrictions on the activities of cafes and gaming cafes in Tehran, stating that operators in this sector are facing threats, warnings, and closures. "Ham-Mihan" noted that the closure of cafes due to "customers' hijab, which is part of the hijab and chastity plan," began in Farvardin this year and remains in effect. The report emphasized that there is hardly any city where cafes have not faced closures and shutdowns. According to the report, cafes in the Iran-Shahr, Enghelab, and Vali Asr intersection areas of Tehran have set a "closure record". Ham-Mihan quoted cafe owners who have heard that after several closures, they may be taken to court, have bail set, or have their business licenses revoked. The report mentioned bizarre cases, including the closure of a cafe that had no customers and the closure of a cafe due to the hijab of a 10-year-old girl. It was also noted that many cafes have limited or abandoned cultural activities due to these conditions. One cafe owner told the newspaper, "I am always worried that someone will come in, write something, and all our efforts will go to waste, leaving 70 people unemployed. If someone enters the cafe wearing different clothes, our whole body shakes at what might happen." Another cafe owner stated, "The cafe was closed for 60 days during which we have to pay taxes and rent. In this situation, the number of guests decreases significantly, and we lose them." According to this cafe owner, after two to three closures due to hijab issues, they may be taken to court and required to post bail of around 200 to 300 million tomans. The report emphasized that the closures are carried out under the guise of a plan, which has increased since last year, focusing primarily on hijab, and if the customers' hijab is not an issue, another excuse will be found. Ham-Mihan reported that reasons such as playing Mafia, loud music, hijab, smoking, and broadcasting football games are among the reasons leading to the closure of cafes. A review of recent news shows that the government insists on continuing therapeutic closures in response to various issues, especially in the realm of mandatory hijab and ideological matters; an occurrence that analysts consider a systematic violation of people's property by the government. Following the nationwide protests in Shahrivar 1401 over the death of Mahsa Amini in the custody of the morality police and the adoption of voluntary hijab by a significant portion of women and girls, the Islamic Republic has resorted to methods such as closing businesses and denying services to those who do not comply with mandatory hijab. Nevertheless, images and videos shared on social media indicate that the Islamic Republic's policy of enforcing mandatory hijab has not been successful. The closures represent another step by the government towards enforcing mandatory hijab. The government's ongoing efforts to impose mandatory hijab; female employees in Qom province must wear chador and avoid makeup. Despite criticisms, the parliament approved the "Chastity and Hijab" bill in a joint commission. Karim Bagheri's restaurant was closed for "not adhering to mandatory hijab". Continued crackdown on opponents of mandatory hijab; a parliament representative stated: "It cannot be resolved through arrests and detentions."