More than half of Iran’s parliament has criticised the judiciary for not enforcing mandatory headscarf rules, as many women in cities now appear in public unveiled.
TEHRAN: More than half of Iran’s parliament has accused the judiciary of failing to enforce the law on mandatory headscarves.
State media reported that 155 of the 290 lawmakers wrote a letter to judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei.
They stated the judiciary “cannot remain passive” over the issue.
The parliamentarians claimed a lack of will to implement laws has “paved the ground for nudity, not observing hijab, and other abnormal behaviours”.
In Iran, the term “nudity” often refers to clothing deemed inappropriate.
Many women in major cities, particularly Tehran, now go out without headscarves.
They sometimes sport dyed hair along with jeans and sneakers.
The administration of President Masoud Pezeshkian refused last year to promulgate a stricter hijab law passed by parliament.
Since taking power in July 2024, Pezeshkian has maintained women cannot be forced to wear the hijab.
The issue remains a flashpoint since the mass protests following Mahsa Amini’s death in custody in 2022.
She was arrested by morality police for allegedly flouting the dress code.
Some clergy and conservative officials vehemently oppose what they see as widespread “nudity” and Western influence.
Authorities have recently closed several cafes and restaurants for not enforcing hijab rules or serving alcohol.
A 2014 fatwa by supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei states women must dress to leave only the face and hands visible.
The supreme leader’s office faced criticism last week after its newspaper published a photo of an unveiled Iranian woman killed in the June war against Israel.
