A video of a man throwing yogurt at two unveiled women in Iran has gone viral, sparking outrage and raising tensions in the country. Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi spoke out on the issue, stating that the hijab is the law in Iran and that while persuasion is preferred, there is a legal requirement for women to wear the headscarf.
The video, widely shared on social media, shows the man pouring yogurt over the heads of two female customers who were not wearing the mandatory hijab in a shop near the northeastern city of Mashhad. Judicial authorities have issued arrest warrants for the man and the two women, who were also flouting Iran’s strict female dress rules.
This incident comes after the death in custody of Iranian Kurd Mahsa Amini in September, which sparked nationwide protests. The 22-year-old had been arrested for violating Islamic dress codes.
The protests led to the deaths of over 500 demonstrators. Meanwhile, Iran’s Chief Justice has threatened punishment for those who do not follow strict rules about modest dress in public. Under Iran’s Islamic sharia law, women are required to cover their hair and wear long, loose-fitting clothes. Violators have faced public rebuke, fines, or arrest.
The government has sometimes ignored the violation of the hijab rule, but this has caused anger among pro-government clerics and politicians. The shopkeeper who confronted the attacker has been warned, and reports on social media suggest that his shop has been shut down. He was quoted by a local news agency as saying he was allowed to reopen and was due to give explanations to a court.