Iran: hundreds of women arrested in “bad hijab” crackdown

Authorities arrested several hundred Iranian women and issued a warning to thousands of other over their poor Islamic dress this week in the most harsh crackdown on what’s known as “bad hijab” for more than a decade. Police cars are stationed outside major shopping centers in Tehran, with patrols stopping pedestrians and cars—warning female drivers not to show any hair. Women are arrested and their vehicles impounded if they argue back. Iranian TV reported that a Tehran opinion poll found 86% in favor of the crackdown. (BBC, April 27)

See our last post on Iran and the women’s struggles in the Islamic Republic.