Iranian officials have reportedly arrested a number of juvenile girls and others for not wearing hijabs during a skateboarding event in Shiraz, a city in southern Iran.
A video purportedly depicting Tuesday’s ‘Go Skateboarding Day’ celebration on Chamran Boulevard in Shiraz went viral on social media in Iran, infuriating orthodox religious conservatives in a country where all women and young girls are required to wear a hijab.
According to Shiraz police commander Faraj Shojaee, as quoted by state news agency IRNA, a number of girls “removed their hijab at the end of the sports event without observing the religious considerations and legal norms.” “With the coordination of the judiciary, a number of perpetrators and people related to this gathering were identified and arrested on Thursday,” he said.
“Holding any mixed sports or non-sports gathering without observing the religious and legal norms is prohibited… and the organisers will be dealt with according to the law,” Shojaee further added.
It is worth noting that under Islamic law, which has been in effect in Iran since the 1979 revolution, women are required to wear a hijab, which covers the head and neck thus hiding the hair. While Iranian women struggle to be liberated and break free from the confines of headscarves, the hijab is exploited to forward the Islamic agenda over the world.
The hijab has been a major source of controversy in India in recent months. The Karnataka hijab controversy caused enough uproar and violence in the country for authorities to intervene and the judiciary to provide certain directives.