Conflicts & War

Iran universities to ban female students who don’t wear veil

Tehran, Apr 3 (EFE).- Universities in Iran will ban female students who do not wear a veil, Iran’s education ministry said on Monday.

“All universities and higher education centers under this Ministry of Education are exempt from providing educational and social services to the few students who do not comply with the rules and regulations of the universities,” the ministry said in a statement quoted by the Fars news agency.

The statement added that “the veil and chastity are an obligation” for female students, who must abide by the laws of the country.

The health ministry also issued a statement saying it would not provide services to female students who do not cover their heads.

The measure was announced as students across Iran resumed their studies after a two-week break to mark Nowruz, the Persian New Year.

Many Iranian women have stopped wearing the hijab following the death in police custody of Mahsa Amini, who was arrested in September for not wearing her veil correctly.

The young Kurdish woman’s death on September 16 sparked nationwide protests calling for women’s rights and broader freedoms.

Universities, higher education centers and high schools have become key hubs for the protests which have been largely driven by Iran’s youth.

Many women in Iran have flouted rules mandating the use of the hijab, which became compulsory in 1983 after the Islamic Revolution, as an act of defiant protest against the Iranian regime.

On Friday, video footage of a man dumping yogurt on two women in a shop who did not have their hair covered went viral.

The two women were arrested for violating the country’s hijab rules, while the man was detained for “disturbing public order”.

The authorities have also started closing stores and businesses that serve female customers who aren’t wearing a veil.

Iran’s crackdown on the protests that swept the country has led to the deaths of some 500 people, the arrest of thousands and the execution of four protesters. EFE

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