The organization of cemeteries for Tehran Province says it has covered graves that feature images of the deceased not wearing the hijab, as authorities continue to widen their crackdown on a government decree on head scarves.
Saeed Ghazanfari, the head of Behesht-e Zahra, the largest cemetery in Iran, said that 98 tombstones that had images of women without a proper hijab had been "corrected."
A July 5 order by President Ebrahim Raisi to enforce the hijab law has resulted in a new list of restrictions on how women can dress. The country's notorious Guidance Patrols, or morality police, have become increasingly active and violent in enforcing the law, with videos emerging on social media showing officers detaining women, forcing them into vans, and whisking them away.
آخوندها برای سرکوب دست از سر #زنان فوت شده هم بر نمی دارند.سعید غضنفری، مدیرعامل سازمان «بهشت زهرا» تهران از اصلاح ۹۸ سنگ قبر خبر داد که به گفته او تصاویر بیحجاب یا بدحجاب زنان متوفقی بر روی آنها حک شده بود!!!!#ذهن_بیمار pic.twitter.com/rducTi1CmM
— Mahy (@Mahy90900240) July 25, 2022
Since Raisi's order, women judged not to be in compliance have been told they will be barred from government offices, banks, and public transportation.
Gholamreza Karim Aghaei, the director-general of Fars Province Airports in southern Iran, said on July 26 that women wearing a hijab "improperly" would now be prevented from entering the Shiraz Airport, the country's third-largest, and its flight terminals.
In response to the crackdown, activists have launched a social media campaign under the hashtag #no2hijab to urge people to boycott companies enforcing the tougher restrictions.
On July 12, women's rights activists posted videos of themselves publicly removing their veils to coincide with the government’s National Day of Hijab and Chastity.
The hijab first became compulsory in public for Iranian women and girls over the age of 9 after the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Many Iranian women have flouted the rule over the years in protest and pushed the boundaries of what officials say is acceptable clothing.