Return of Morality Police and Arrest of Mohammad Sadeghi; Imposing Hijab Requires Establishing 'Thousands of Gallows'

The return of the Morality Police to the streets and the arrest of Mohammad Sadeghi, a young actor who broadcasted the raid by security forces on his home live on his Instagram account, has sparked significant reactions on social media. Sadeghi, who had reacted to the news of the Morality Police's return, was arrested on Sunday, July 16, during a raid by security forces at his home, where he streamed the entire incident live on Instagram. Security forces raided Sadeghi's home after he had confronted police officers on Instagram, asking, 'What are you getting paid for? To take girls and throw them in a van, where to?' This theater and cinema actor also criticized men who tell women in families to 'wrap the scarf around your neck so that if they catch you, you can throw it over your head.' In response to the news of the Morality Police's return to the streets, he stated, 'You are officially saying there is a war. It is a war! A war for what is in the minds and hearts of the people of this city, not an ideology you want to impose on them. Do you understand?' The government raid on Sadeghi's home occurred after these statements, and he live-streamed the raid and his arrest. When the officers attacked his home, Sadeghi attempted to jump out of the window but was dissuaded from doing so by the arrival of firefighters and a judicial authority, leading to his arrest. The violent arrest of Mohammad Sadeghi has quickly drawn widespread reactions on social media. Ashkan Khatibi, an actor opposed to the Islamic Republic, tweeted that 'in the middle of Mohammad Sadeghi's live stream, they attack his home, breaking the windows,' and 'when he tries to escape from the balcony, they bring a fire truck, break down his door, and arrest him,' stating, 'All this unreserved effort by the police and intelligence of a country is not to arrest a dangerous killer, but to arrest a theater actor.' Ahmad Zeidabadi, a journalist, wrote on his Telegram channel, without mentioning Sadeghi, that 'the Islamic Republic has two paths regarding the hijab issue,' stating that 'the first path is to come to terms with optional hijab,' but 'the second path is not a path at all, but a dead end whose costs for the people, country, and government are beyond the imagination of some extremists.' According to Zeidabadi, 'If the government has decided to enter this dead end under pressure from the extremist and fanatical faction, it needs to increase the capacity of its prisons thousands of times from now on.' He emphasized that in this matter, prison will also 'not be a deterrent,' adding, 'Imposing hijab on all women at any cost requires establishing thousands of gallows in every neighborhood. Unfortunately, that is the bottom line. Do not take it lightly.' Maryam Manoochehri, a writer, also tweeted, 'Just look at our today. A normal day in Iran: news of the horrific attack on Mohammad Sadeghi's home and his arrest is circulating.' She also referenced the events of the night of Sepideh Rashno's arrest with 'terrifying details,' stating, 'The police are not sitting idle and are publicizing their return of the Morality Police.' The intensification of pressure on opponents of mandatory hijab and the announcement of the Morality Police's return to the streets, which had significantly decreased following the death of Mahsa Amini in custody and the subsequent nationwide protests, comes as some experts emphasize that the government's efforts to break civil disobedience are futile. In this context, Mansoureh Hosseini, a women's rights activist, told Voice of America that the barrier of mandatory hijab has cracked.