Tajzadeh: Khamenei Responsible for the Return of Morality Police

Simultaneously with the proposal from the parliament regarding the use of monetary fines to combat opponents of mandatory hijab, Mustafa Tajzadeh, a political prisoner, identified Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, as responsible for the return of the morality police. In a message published on his Telegram page on Tuesday, the former Deputy Minister of Interior described the "renewal of the morality police's activities and police action against non-hijab wearers" as "an open affront to the people and their rights and freedoms, leading to increased anger and rightful protests from citizens." He emphasized that "the police's actions severely damage social cohesion and national unity in Iran and push society towards polarization." Mr. Tajzadeh stated, "With my experience in the Ministry of Interior, I have no doubt that this major blunder cannot happen without the knowledge and approval of the leader himself, and consequently, the responsibility for its dire consequences primarily lies with Mr. Khamenei, and he must be held accountable." This imprisoned political activist characterized the attempt to re-mandate hijab as a "raw and failed obsession" and deemed it "suspicious" to "play with the fire of citizens' anger, especially in the context of the regime's severe inefficiency" in controlling inflation and rising prices. Additionally, Parvaneh Salahshouri, a former member of parliament, mentioned the "intensification of actions" against opponents of mandatory hijab as a sign of the growing resistance "against these rules." On Tuesday, in an interview with the online newspaper "Faraz," Ms. Salahshouri called the "generalization" of official hijab rules in Iran impossible and "challenging." She attributed the stricter punishments to the unpopularity of hijab laws in society. Ms. Salahshouri also regarded the proposal to confiscate 10% of the wealth of celebrities opposing mandatory hijab as a sign of "society's insistence on non-compliance with official hijab." The Research Center of the Parliament recently called for a deduction of 10% from the total assets and a 15-year ban on employment for celebrities opposing mandatory hijab. On the other hand, most of the penalties outlined in the bill for enforcing mandatory hijab, known as the "Hijab and Chastity Bill," include monetary fines, criminal case formation, imprisonment, and deprivation of social rights. According to this bill, the revenue generated from the enforcement of this law will be allocated to what is termed "addressing social harms," including "organizing working children and needy female heads of households." The bill does not mention how the morality police will continue to operate against opponents of mandatory hijab. Meanwhile, some parliament members have also supported police actions against unveiled women and called for punishment for those who publish images related to these actions. Bijan Nobaveh, the Deputy Chairman of the Cultural Commission of the Parliament, stated on Tuesday, August 2, that filming the police "while on duty" enforcing mandatory hijab is a crime. Those who publish news and images related to financial and administrative corruption and violent and illegal actions of government agencies in recent years have always faced security and judicial pressures. On the other hand, government critics have warned about the consequences of the return of the morality police to the streets and the intensification of punitive measures against supporters of optional hijab. A collection of human rights activists recently stated in a statement that the Islamic Republic's reliance on "mandatory hijab laws" aims at "humiliating women" and considered the return of the morality police as "extremely concerning." Humiliation of women to impose mandatory hijab on the eve of the anniversary of Mahsa Amini's death. Forough Kanani: Hijab is the only symbol of Islam in the Islamic Republic. One of the rulings related to hijab was violated; the Supreme Court: the court's reasoning is incorrect. A collection of human rights activists in response to recent rulings: the Islamic Republic focuses on humiliating women. A member of the National Security Commission of the Parliament: No one is willing to accept responsibility for the "morality police."