Shabtabnews In this dark night, I have lost my way – Arise from a corner, oh you the star of guidance.
RFL/RE – A prominent bookstore in the Iranian capital, Tehran, has been closed down for failing to enforce mandatory hijab rules for some of its female customers.
The popular publishing house Saless was cited on January 30 for infractions by the Public Places Authority, which led to the immediate closure of its bookstore, according to the Saless Publication’s official Instagram account.
The incident highlights a continued clampdown on public, commercial, and tourist venues, hundreds of which have been shut recently due to what authorities deemed as noncompliance with hijab regulations.
Anger over the suppression of human rights, and women’s rights in particular, has boiled over since September 2022 when 22-year-old Mahsa Amini died while in police custody. She was being held for an alleged violation of the hijab law, which makes it compulsory for women and girls over the age of 9 to cover their heads when out in public.
While the protests appear to have waned, resistance to the hijab remains strong, as it is seen now as a symbol of the state’s repression of women and the deadly crackdown on society.
The campaign against the compulsory hijab has grown so widespread that Abdolhossein Khosropanah, the secretary of the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution, conceded last year that while women defying the hijab law should technically be arrested, the large numbers of women involved make such mass detentions unfeasible.
The authorities have broadened their crackdown, shutting down businesses, restaurants, cafes, and in some cases pharmacies due to the failure of owners or managers to enforce Islamic laws and hijab rules.
In the face of the unrest, some religious and government figures have repeatedly advocated a tougher stance by the government against offenders.
