Will women in Iran feel freer after abolition of morality police? Experts weigh in

The Iranian authorities will abolish the morality police (or Guidance Patrol), which monitored compliance with the hijab law. This was announced by Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, on his X page. The changes will be part of the law on modesty and the hijab, which was sent back for revision at the end of 2024 due to concerns that its harsh punishments could destabilize society.

In the second half of September 2024, the Iranian parliament approved the implementation of a new "Family Support Bill" with a three-year trial period. The document details instances of dress code violations and corresponding punishments. However, the Iranian National Security Council later called on parliament to suspend the process in order to resolve ambiguities in the wording of the new law.

Ghalibaf reminded that there is already a punishment in Iran for violating the hijab rules, and now a law should be adopted that addresses "both positive and negative aspects." According to him, the current law has completely eliminated street patrols, but the Iranian government still faces some issues in other areas that need to be resolved.

In September 2024, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian promised not to "disturb" women regarding their hijabs. "The morality police should not have been opposed to women. I will ensure that they do not disturb them," he stated.

In Iran, scandals frequently arise due to conflicts and disputes over the wearing of hijabs. For example, last year, local actresses who refused to wear the hijab were officially banned from acting in films. Many actresses abandoned the hijab during the protests in Iran in 2022. The protests began after the tragic incident involving 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who was detained by the morality police for a "conversation." After this "conversation," the young woman died. Pezeshkian, in the same year, called it unacceptable that "in the Islamic Republic, a woman is arrested over the hijab and then her lifeless body is handed over to her family" and demanded a transparent investigation.

So, what could the disappearance of the morality police from the streets of Iranian cities lead to? Will women feel freer? Or this is far from certain, and the conservative part of the establishment will try to find other ways to maintain control over the enforcement of the strict dress code for women?

Foreign experts shared their thoughts on the matter in conversations with Caliber.Az.

Israeli researcher on Iranian issues and journalist Michael Borodkin believes that the abolition of the morality police in itself may provide only temporary and minor relief for Iranian women who are persecuted for violating dress code requirements.

"Recently, the Iranian authorities have been widely using new technologies to monitor citizens on the streets — primarily, stationary surveillance cameras and drones with cameras. Facial recognition programs and other similar tools are being implemented. It is also known that a special application for informants has been developed in Iran. Those who wish to report dress code violations can send messages to the police about vehicles where this has occurred, from the subway to ambulances, with various details and data, and the police take action. For example, the vehicle may be confiscated," the researcher explained.

He also noted that the morality police in its current form, known as "Gasht-e Ershad" (Guidance Patrol), was established only in 2005 under President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

"But this does not mean that before 2005, women could dress as they pleased; it was simply that the regular police carried out the functions of the morality police. So, the issue is not the existence of the morality police itself, but the laws and norms of the regime, as well as their enforcement. As long as dress code requirements remain in place, the persecution will not stop. And these requirements will not be abolished as long as this regime exists," Borodkin concludes.

Expert on Iran, Dr. Vladimir Mesamed from the Institute of Asia and Africa at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, noted that for the past two and a half years, Iran has indeed been shaken by protest movements.

"Besides, these protests, especially since the fall of 2022, have been directed against the government and carry an anti-government component."

"And, in fact, many believe that the main foundation of these protests (which started on a large scale but largely subsided after three to four months) is opposition to injustice, gender inequality, and rigid moral restrictions. In general, for Iran, the issue of the dress code, moral restrictions, and Islamic limitations is one of the red lines. The fact is that in Iran, it is believed that the Islamic system is inseparable from the outward manifestations that the Islamic dress code embodies."

"Let’s recall that when this dress code was introduced in Iran after the revolution, in the very first year, there were many demonstrations, especially by women who opposed its implementation. At that time, there was intense resistance, protests, and a significant number of casualties. Throughout all these years, this issue has repeatedly surfaced, but it remained a red line, and the government never made any concessions in this regard."

"In 2022, massive demonstrations erupted after Mahsa Amini was beaten and later died. This raised the question of the need to reconsider the approach to such extreme manifestations of the dress code, like the chastity patrols. For some time, these patrols essentially disappeared. Over the past few years, the visual landscape of Iranian cities has noticeably changed, as many women stopped wearing or removed their hijabs. There were even protests where they burned hijabs, took them off en masse, and so on," the doctor explains.

"Therefore," he says, "the question arose about a new law that would take into account the changes brewing in society but would not abolish the existing rules."

"Because, as I said, this is a red line. In the spring of last year, they began developing the latest version of this law. This bill was presented to the public in late autumn of last year. Compared to previous versions, it contained a significant number of articles—74 in total. It outlined a broad range of responsibilities for various executive bodies, detailing everything explicitly, and emphasized that the hijab is an essential element of modesty.

This immediately sparked debates about how to implement the law and what penalties should be imposed for violations. The bill included provisions for Islamic punishments, particularly regarding the failure to wear a hijab, with very strict measures. For example, one article specified a maximum fine of 1 million rials for a single instance of appearing without a hijab. It quickly became clear that such measures could provoke public unrest. At that time, President Pezeshkian refused to approve the implementation of the law. There were also many dissenting voices in parliament."

"But the adoption of the law has been delayed for a long time, and it needs to be implemented. Especially since there have recently been numerous demonstrations in Tehran, where participants have been divided into two camps—some demanding that strict restrictions not be introduced, while others have called for the law to be enacted to restore all previous regulations. In this regard, a solution had to be found.

The fact that Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf announced on X the abandonment of the morality police is undoubtedly a significant achievement. This can be seen as a concession aimed at preventing unnecessary tensions.

Moreover, in Iran, there is a real fear that if no concessions are made now and the law is not softened, it could lead to serious grassroots social protests. Under the pressure of such protests, the Islamic system itself could be shaken," the scholar believes.

At the same time, along with this measure aimed at easing tensions, Iran has also adopted other decisions, he added."

"Two main opposition figures are being released. First, former Speaker of Parliament Mehdi Karoubi, who had been under house arrest since 2011, is being freed after 14 years. Secondly, in two weeks, Mir-Hossein Mousavi, the last prime minister of Iran before the position was abolished, will be released. Later, he continued his political activities, running in the 2009 presidential elections but losing. When the so-called 'Arab Spring' began in the Arab countries, he called for a broad protest movement in Iran. He and Karoubi were among the initiators of this movement, this wave of demonstrations."

"So now, these two opposition figures are being released, essentially releasing steam from the valve. In other words, by abolishing the morality police and freeing these two opposition leaders, the Iranian government is signaling that it is willing to take various measures to de-escalate the situation. This is how I interpret the recent developments," concluded Mesamed.