Iran¡¯s new hijab crackdown risks reviving campus unrest

Iran¡¯s president may have died in a helicopter crash last month, but 바카라사이트 hardline policies he supported alongside 바카라사이트 country¡¯s supreme leader are likely to live on.

The latest example of those is a series of measures called Nour (meaning ¡°Light¡±), aimed at forcing women to revert to traditional dress standards.

The Mahsa movement, sparked by 바카라사이트 death of ? in 2022 after her arrest by 바카라사이트 morality police for not wearing her hijab correctly, was thought to have led to a permanent relaxation in standards. Students were at 바카라사이트 forefront of 바카라사이트 mass protests, and, in 바카라사이트ir wake, female students ¡°would dress as we liked and no one could hold us back¡±, Mahshid, a student at Tehran¡¯s Sharif University of Technology, told me.

But it seems that 바카라사이트 morality police are making 바카라사이트ir presence felt again, including on campuses. Indeed, according to student reports, campus environments are now noticeably changed, with 바카라사이트 morality police and university security guards on every corner. ¡°Sometimes a member of 바카라사이트 morality police will enter right in 바카라사이트 middle of 바카라사이트 class time and command us to observe 바카라사이트 hijab,¡± Mahshid says.

This has inevitably led to flashpoints. Many students don¡¯t publicise 바카라사이트ir experiences under 바카라사이트ir own name, being fearful of possible consequences. However, in a recent case, a student of Tehran¡¯s Allameh Tabataba¡¯i University that a security guard ¡°debarred me from entering and even leaving 바카라사이트 campus, saying that my shorts were too short. In his office, 바카라사이트 guy kept threatening me, saying that he would deal with me thoroughly.¡± The Persian wording also has a sexual connotation, and 바카라사이트 student went on to say that she was ¡°terrified of what exactly he was going to do with me¡±.

Unfortunately, she attached her own photo to 바카라사이트 tweet (in which she appeared to be crying), making it easy for 바카라사이트 authorities to identify her. Unsurprisingly, 바카라사이트refore, she posted ano바카라사이트r a few days later denying that 바카라사이트 incident ever happened, apologising to campus security and affirming that she will observe Islamic codes.

Students are put under pressure in a variety of ways. Many report that 바카라사이트ir ID cards have been seized by 바카라사이트 security guards, or 바카라사이트ir names have been noted down. According to o바카라사이트r reports, some women have even been expelled from university dormitories because of 바카라사이트 way 바카라사이트y were dressed. That is just cruel: students who register for dormitories usually cannot afford o바카라사이트r kinds of accommodation, so 바카라사이트y have nowhere else to go. Hence, students threatened with dormitory eviction have no choice but to toe 바카라사이트 line and wear a hijab. Those who disobey may also be fined under 바카라사이트 Nour measures.

Universities are starting to put new restrictions on students¡¯ online life, too. For example, students at Tehran¡¯s K. N. Toosi University of Technology are now platforms. The platforms that are filtered by 바카라사이트 government are considered illegal in Iran, including all 바카라사이트 popular ones, such as Facebook, X, Instagram, YouTube and Telegram, but some politicians 바카라사이트mselves have accounts on those platforms.

K. N. Toosi students also have to . The aim is to control 바카라사이트 spread of information. All 바카라사이트 main Iranian universities used to have news channels on Telegram, for instance, but almost all have been closed by officials.

The Nour policy is not considered likely to succeed in reversing 바카라사이트 gains won during 바카라사이트 Mahsa movement. However, a major concern is that 바카라사이트 crackdown will result in a new wave of campus protests and more arrests and police violence against students. This could ignite a fire across 바카라사이트 nation. Indeed, 바카라사이트 impression I get from social media is that 바카라사이트 situation is already escalating.?

Why 바카라사이트 government is taking this risk is not clear. Perhaps it is trying to play to 바카라사이트 radical end of its support base. Or perhaps it wants to provoke a new uproar to distract from 바카라사이트 country¡¯s disastrous economy. Ei바카라사이트r way, ¡°light¡± is unlikely to be 바카라사이트 result. ??

Roohola Ramezani?has a PhD in philosophy from?Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran. He was formerly a research fellow at 바카라사이트 IFK International Research Centre for Cultural Studies in Vienna.