[Today’s Prayer] Iran cracks down on hijab ... 'Morality police' sexually harass and beat during arrests

The Iranian government has recently renewed its crackdown on the hijab.

According to the Jerusalem Post (JP) on Nov. 17, Iran's Morality Police have been cracking down on women who do not wear the hijab in Tehran and other cities under the "Noor (Light) Plan" since Nov. 13.

The morality police have been arresting women indiscriminately for violating hijab regulations in public, sexually harassing and even beating them.

They are also reportedly not afraid to use violence against women, including using taser guns and breaking car windows.

Iranian social media has also been flooded with videos of the violent behavior of the Morality Police.

The renewed crackdown comes after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, in a sermon on the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Fitr (the holiday after the end of Ramadan), stressed the need to crack down on behavior that violates religious norms in Iranian society.

In response, Iranian women's activist Narges Mohammadi, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize last year, strongly criticized the authorities' crackdown on the hijab in a statement posted on Instagram through her family.

Mohammadi accused the authorities of using intimidation and fear to turn the streets into a battleground targeting women and youth.

"The streets are ours, and victory is our destiny," Mohammadi said, emphasizing that the courageous resistance and civil disobedience of Iranian women in the streets is shaking the foundations of the Islamic Republic.

The crackdown also comes as the Hijab and Chastity Bill, which seeks to force women to wear the hijab, has yet to receive final approval from the Constitutional Guardian Council, which is responsible for interpreting Islamic norms and the constitution.

The Hijab and Chastity Bill, which passed Iran's parliament last September, just four days after the first anniversary of the Mahsa Amini incident, provides for up to 10 years in prison for anyone who violates the dress code under Islamic law.

Amini died suddenly on September 16, 2022, after being taken away by police for violating the dress code by showing her hair through her hijab, sparking nationwide protests that became known as the Hijab Protests.

The Iranian authorities' heavy-handed crackdown on the hijab protests has left 551 people dead and more than 1,500 arrested, according to a UN Human Rights Council Report released last month.

Iran has required women over the age of nine to wear the hijab since 1981, two years after the Islamic Revolution, but a growing number of women had been opting out in recent years, including in the wake of the civil disobedience movement that followed Amini's death, JP said.

(Omitted)

Source: Seoul News

Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel (2 Timothy 2:8)

God,

There is a renewed crackdown on women not wearing the hijab in Iran, which is causing many problems.

We pray as we see the heartbreaking reality as Islam continues to persecute, violate, and beat women.

Lord, we pray that the women and souls of Iran will see the violence and falsehood of Islam and wake up to realize that it is not the truth!

May the people of Iran now realize that the only truth is the love of Jesus, who came to this earth to love us, bear all our sins, be crucified, and rise from the dead to lead us to eternal life, and may they all come to You in the light!

The forces of Islam that terrorize, persecute, and suppress the freedom of the Iranian people will come to an end! Would you raise up more children of light to bring the gospel to the Iranian people, and furthermore, would you raise up the Iranian people to be a witness of Your love to all nations!