Gender Segregation of Medical Students; From 'Legal Limits' on 'Gazing at Non-Mahram' to Perfume Bans

The Ministry of Health of the Islamic Republic has issued a new executive guideline for the dress code of medical students and assistants, emphasizing restrictions on clothing, makeup, perfume use, and adherence to 'legal limits' when encountering 'non-mahram'. According to the directive issued on Wednesday, September 20, titled 'Regulations on Behavior and Dress of Students and Assistants' for the new academic year, wearing 'short or tight clothing, open-front coats, silk, lace, or low-cut garments' is prohibited. This executive guideline also bans the use of cosmetics and perfumes for students and assistants, and in addition to gender-segregated classrooms, it emphasizes that they must observe 'legal limits' in 'gazing at non-mahram'. According to the Mehr News Agency, 'incorporating concepts of chastity and hijab into educational programs' and holding 'brainstorming and debate sessions' about the 'philosophy of chastity and hijab' and 'making suitable clothing available' with 'maximum discounts' are other emphasized points in this directive. Furthermore, 'observance of hijab and Islamic ethics' is considered a 'fundamental prerequisite' for students' presence in educational environments, and 'authorities' are obligated to supervise it. Based on the 'Chastity and Hijab' resolution, the Ministry of Science is also required to establish 'women-only' university campuses to implement gender segregation among students. The intensification of restrictions on students' dress and behavior and the determination of their lifestyle comes at a time when, during last year's protests, one of the students' demands was the removal of gender segregation in dining halls. In response to widespread protests in universities, some officials of the Islamic Republic invited students to 'dialogue' instead of protesting. Simultaneously with these restrictions in universities, the struggle between opponents of mandatory hijab and government forces regarding this type of hijab emphasized by the Islamic Republic continues even in religious cities like Qom. The imposition of restrictions on medical students occurs while the Ministry of Health has remained silent about the deaths of several doctors and students during the nationwide protests over the past year. During the protests following the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody, Masoud Ahmadzadeh, a dentist, and Azad Hosseini-Pouri, a physician, were shot dead by security forces in November in Mahabad. Additionally, Parisa Bahmani, a general surgeon and one of the protesters in front of the Medical System Building in Tehran, Aida Rostami, a medical volunteer for injured protesters, Ebrahim Rigi, a doctor treating the injured during the bloody Friday in Zahedan, and Ailar Haghi, a medical student in Tabriz, are among the doctors and medical students who lost their lives last year. The U.S. State Department spokesperson, Tio Miller, previously stated in response to a question from a VOA Persian reporter that the Islamic Republic has not learned from recent protests. John Kirby, the National Security Council's Strategic Communications Coordinator at the White House, said, 'After the death of Mahsa Amini and the popular protests, the people of Iran should now be able to make decisions for themselves, and women should choose their own dress.' The parliament has approved and sent to the Guardian Council a 'pilot implementation' of the 'Chastity and Hijab' bill for three years. The release of the protest song 'Bi-Betaha' was announced by Mahdi Shahnaazi, stating that we will soon be free from the tyrant of our time. Protests continue in various regions of Iran on the anniversary of Mahsa with the slogan 'We will take back Iran'. Yalda Ma'iri recounts a year after her arrest during protests: 'I and other women were sexually assaulted.' One year of temporary detention for Niloufar Hamedi and Elaheh Mohammadi; lawyers say the atmosphere is 'ready for acquittal'. UN experts condemned the intensification of repression against protesters on the anniversary of Mahsa Amini.