Iranian Hardliners Outraged Over Viral Graduation Video

Legal action is being taken against at least one student after hardliners in Iran expressed outrage over a video of female students dancing in their graduation celebration video, which went viral this week.

The students from Al-Zahra University in the southern city of Bushehr were also seen dancing in public and riding motorcycles, activities that are illegal for women in Iran with the hardline government cracking down ever harder on women’s freedoms from behavior to dress codes.

Zahra Hajiani, the dean of Al-Zahra University, responded to the video, stating that university security forces were investigating the incident.

In an interview with the Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA), Hajiani said that “no official graduation ceremony had been held at the university due to the COVID-19 pandemic and financial constraints.”

She added that “the video was organized independently by a few graduating students without coordination or permission from the university.”

Hajiani announced that the university is currently investigating the matter, and the student responsible for filming the video has been identified.

Labeling the graduation celebration as "illegal," Hajiani asserted that the university administration would pursue legal action.

The incident underscores the ongoing crisis surrounding the mandatory hijab and women's social freedoms in Iran.

Iran imposes its interpretation of religion on women through judicial rulings and heavy penalties, restricting their right to choose their clothing and lifestyles. Despite increasing civil opposition, particularly evident after the protests of 2022, social restrictions on women have deepened from covert surveillance to increased morality police patrols and arrest.