Pharmacy Quotas Determined by 'Hijab Compliance'; New Phase in the Fight Against Women's Optional Dress

Domestic media reported on Tuesday, May 7, that the head of the Food and Drug Organization, affiliated with the Ministry of Health, stated that adherence to mandatory hijab in pharmacies will determine their quotas. According to reports, Haidar Mohammadi emphasized on May 6 in his remarks at the Presidential Communications Center that pharmacy quotas will be based on hijab compliance. However, following the publication of these reports, IRNA, the official news agency of the Islamic Republic, denied this news citing Haidar Mohammadi, stating that pharmacy quotas will be determined based on the hijab compliance of their 'employees.' Despite this denial, reports indicate that government entities of the Islamic Republic have, in some cases, closed pharmacies just like other businesses due to non-compliance with mandatory hijab by their employees and customers. Furthermore, following the 'Women, Life, Freedom' movement, which erupted in protest against the killing of Mahsa Amini across Iran, several pharmacies and other businesses in various cities were closed for failing to adhere to mandatory hijab. The Food and Drug Organization mandated the wearing of black hijabs for all employees, both technical and non-technical, in March 2023. This focus of the government agency responsible for pharmaceuticals in Iran on the issue of hijab comes at a time when patients in the country face problems related to shortages or unavailability of medications, especially vital drugs, and sometimes their only option is to procure medications from the black market at exorbitant prices. The Quds newspaper in Mashhad reported in March 2023 that despite a 30% increase in drug imports by officials, many patients still turn to the black market, such as the Nasir Khosrow market in Tehran, to obtain their necessary medications at much higher prices after failing to find them in selected pharmacies. Numerous previous reports have documented the closure of businesses, restaurants, cafes, and even pharmacies due to non-compliance with 'mandatory hijab.' For instance, a pharmacy in Amol was closed in January 2023 due to a verbal altercation between a 'morality police' officer and a female pharmacist over hijab compliance. In December 2022, the Shargh newspaper reported that a pharmacy at a well-known infertility clinic in Shiraz was closed for not providing services and 'inciting a strike' by the IRGC Intelligence Organization. In January 2023, there was also news about the closure of a doctor's office in Kashmar due to a reaction to a complaint from a 'hijab-wearing' woman about another woman's attire in her office, leading to a legal case against the doctor. The crackdown on healthcare staff intensified when Bahram Einollahi, the Minister of Health of the Islamic Republic, threatened private healthcare centers, stating that if cultural issues, including hijab, are not adhered to, they would not receive the necessary accreditation and their hospital accreditation might not be confirmed. The Minister of Health also reacted to what he called 'improper hijab' among healthcare staff and 'ultrasound examinations of women by men,' stating that the issue of hijab compliance has been communicated to government centers and 'non-compliance with hijab law is an offense.'