On Monday, July 24, after the largest e-commerce business in Iran, Digikala, posted images online of female employees without the required Islamic hijab, the Iranian government shut down one of its offices and initiated legal action against it.
The action seems to be a part of a fresh effort that was started last week to enforce the Islamic dress code, which came under scrutiny in the face of intense protests in 2022.
Digikala, often known as ‘Iran’s Amazon,’ appears to have broken the law by publishing images of a corporate event where some female employees were not covering themselves with the mandatory hijab.
More than 300,000 merchants are hosted by Digikala, which gets more than 40 million active monthly visitors. Western sanctions related to Iran’s contested nuclear programme have effectively cut off Iranians from online businesses like Amazon, promoting Digikala indirectly.
One of Digikala’s offices has been sealed, according to a story published late Sunday on the website of Iran’s Hamshahri newspaper, which is connected to the Tehran municipality. The website, however, was reportedly functioning smoothly.
The judiciary of Iran’s website stated that judicial cases had been brought in relation to the images on Digikala. No further information regarding the same was however provided.
Anti-Hijab Protests in Iran
Last year, nationwide demonstrations broke out in Iran after Mahsa Amini, 22, passed away while being held by the morality police. She appeared to have been jailed for disobeying the nation’s dress code, which mandates that women cover their hair in public and that both men and women dress ‘conservatively’.
Women had a significant role in the protests, which swiftly turned into demands for the collapse of Iran’s theocracy, which assumed control following the 1979 revolution. Following a violent crackdown by the authorities, approximately 20,000 demonstrators were imprisoned and more than 500 of them were killed. At the beginning of this year, the protests generally subsided, although there are still many indications of discontent in the country.
The morality police predominantly disappeared from the streets when the protests started last year and many women stopped covering their heads with the hijab, especially in Tehran and other cities.
However, officials maintained that the laws had not altered throughout the crisis. The hijab is seen by Iran’s governing clergy as a crucial component of the Islamic Republic, and Western-style clothing is decried as a symbol of decadence.
The morality police were back on the streets last week as authorities launched a new initiative to make women wear the hijab.