Iran's Hijab Bill to Enforce Deportation of Illegal Foreign Nationals

Iranian MP Amir Hossein Bankipour announced that the proposed Hijab and Chastity Bill includes measures for deporting illegal foreign nationals who defy hijab.

Bankipour outlined that under the new law, police would have the authority to arrest individuals in five scenarios: “semi-nudity, affiliation with foreign movements, resistance after being cautioned, and foreigners lacking proper documentation.”

The proposed amendment targeting hijab offenders is part of the contentious Hijab and Chastity Bill which Parliament passed in June 2023. However, the Guardian Council, a constitutional watchdog, rejected the bill in October, citing unclear language, and returned it to parliament for revision and clarification.

Following the backlash from the death of Mahsa Amini in September 2022, who died in custody after being arrested for "improper hijab," hardliners are seeking new methods to enforce hijab regulations. The incident ignited the extensive Woman, Life, Freedom protests across the nation, deeply challenging the Iranian regime. The protests led to the deaths of over 550 civilians and the arrest of approximately 22,000 by security forces.

Despite the enforcement attempts, significant resistance persists among Iranian women, who continue to defy the mandatory hijab in public spaces like streets, shops, malls, restaurants, and government buildings in the biggest challenge to the regime since the founding of the Islamic Republic.