Iran Begins Installation Of Cameras In Public Places To Track Women Not Wearing Hijab

Authorities in Iran have started the installation of cameras in public areas as part of efforts to identify women who fail to cover their hair with a hijab.

Police said women identified from footage will receive a text explaining the consequences of not covering their hair with the hijab.

The Iranian police believe this move would be instrumental in preventing “resistance against the hijab law.”

It will be recalled that protests sparked off last year in Iran after a Kurdish woman, Mahsa Amini, died in detention after being arrested for failing to adhere to the hijab law.

Following Amini’s death, a large number of women, especially in megacities, have discarded their veils despite the likelihood of arrest.

Related: CNN Reporter Forced To Wear Hijab And Warned To Step Aside As Talibans Take Over Afghanistan

Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, women in Iran have been legally bound to cover their hair with a hijab. Offenders are arrested or required to pay fines.

A statement from the Iranian police on Saturday hailed the hijab (headscarf) as “one of the civilizational foundations of the Iranian nation,” and advised business owners to adhere to the rule through “diligent inspections.”

Public attacks on women who refuse to wear a hijab are common in the Arabian country.

Recently, a video of a man who threw yogurt at two women who did not cover their hair with the hijab trended online.

Both women were arrested for failing to comply with the law, while the man was also arrested.

Since December, thousands of Iranians protesting the hijab law have been arrested, and four of these protesters have been executed by the government.

President Ebrahim Raisi has reiterated the “religious necessity” of wearing the hijab.