TEHRAN: As many as 12 female performers have been banned from the entertainment industry by Iranian authorities for violating the country’s strict dress code, which mandates them to wear headscarves.
According to Mohammed Mehdi Esmaili, Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance, anyone who violates the law would be prohibited from working.
This action was taken in response to media claims that twelve actresses, including well-known figures such as Katayoun Riahi, Taraneh Alidoosti and Fatemeh Motamed-Aria, would not be allowed to participate in films because of the hijab requirement.
Since 1983, there has been a stringent dress code for women, requiring them to cover their head coverings and modest attire.
Iranian women have been disobeying the dress code more and more over the past year, which has led the authorities to impose severe penalties for hijab violations.
The prospect of up to ten years in prison for women who violate the dress code was included in the legislation passed by lawmakers in September.
These recent measures are thought to be a part of a broader initiative to impose strict Islamic conduct and dress standards nationwide.
Since the Islamic revolution of 1979 in Iran, women have been required to cover their heads and necks according to dress code requirements.
Violating these guidelines is considered a crime and has led to both legal sanctions and arrests.
In recent years, there has been growing resistance to these regulations, with some women choosing to remove their headscarves in public as a form of protest.
The government’s intensified enforcement of the dress code is occurring amid wider social and political tensions in Iran, as many citizens are advocating for increased personal freedoms and reforms in the country’s laws and policies.
