Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi has emphasized that the hijab is mandatory under the law, following the release of a viral video in which a man poured yogurt on two women who were not wearing the veil near the city of Shandiz. State media reported that an arrest warrant has been issued for the attacker, as well as for the two women, who were identified as a mother and daughter.
Video footage of the incident, which was widely circulated on social media in the Islamic Republic, appeared to show the two women being assaulted by a man in a shop after a verbal altercation. The man was captured pouring a bucket of yogurt on the heads of the female customers, before being confronted by the shopkeeper.
In the aftermath of nationwide protests triggered by the death of Mahsa Amini in September 2022 while in the custody of Tehran's morality police for allegedly violating the hijab rules, an increasing number of women have been defying authorities by removing their veils. The protests were violently suppressed by security forces. Despite this, the act of discarding the veil has gained momentum, with more women participating in the movement.
After the 1979 revolution, Iran implemented Islamic sharia law that mandates women to cover their hair and wear loose, long clothes to hide their figures. The veil has been regarded as one of the fundamental pillars of the Iranian nation by Iran's Interior Ministry, which made a statement last week that there would be no tolerance or retreat on the issue.
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