Guidance Patrol

{{Short description|Islamic religious police in Iran}} {{for|the 2012 film|Guidance Patrol (film){{!}}''Guidance Patrol'' (film)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=February 2021}} {{Infobox government agency | name = Guidance Patrol | native_name = | native_name_a = {{lang|fa|گشت ارشاد}} | native_name_r = Gašt-e Eršâd | type = | seal = | seal_size = | seal_caption = | seal_alt = | logo = | logo_size = | logo_caption = | logo_alt = | image = NAJA.svg | image_size = 150px | image_caption = Symbol commonly used to depict the Guidance Patrol{{efn|The Guidance Police does not have an official symbol; however the logo of the Law Enforcement Command is found and widely used on the vice squad vehicles and uniforms.}} | image_alt = | formed = Summer 2005{{efn|Began operations in June 2006.}} | preceding1 = | preceding2 = | dissolved = | superseding1 = Islamic Revolution Committees | superseding2 = | agency_type = Religious police and vice squad | jurisdiction = | status = *Allegedly Dissolved on 3 December 2022<ref name="Disbanded">{{Cite news |date=2022-12-04 |title=Iran to disband morality police amid ongoing protests, says attorney general |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-63850656 |access-date=2022-12-04 |archive-date=16 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221216182948/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-63850656 |url-status=live }}</ref> *Formally Reinstated on 16 July 2023<ref name="Reinststement">{{cite web|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/7/16/irans-morality-police-return-as-authorities-enforce-hijab-rule|title=Iran's 'morality police' return as authorities enforce hijab rule|author=Maziar Motamedi|work=Al Jazeera|accessdate=16 July 2023|archive-date=27 September 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230927094002/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/7/16/irans-morality-police-return-as-authorities-enforce-hijab-rule|url-status=live}}</ref> | headquarters = | coordinates =  | motto = | employees = | budget = | minister_type = | minister1_name = | minister1_pfo = | minister2_name = | minister2_pfo =  | deputyminister_type = | deputyminister1_name = | deputyminister1_pfo = | deputyminister2_name = | deputyminister2_pfo =  | chief1_name = | chief1_position = | chief2_name = | chief2_position =  | parent_department = Law Enforcement Command of the Islamic Republic of Iran | parent_agency = | parent_agency_type =  | keydocument1 =  | website =  | agency_id = | map = | map_size = | map_caption = | map_alt = | footnotes = | embed = }}

The '''Guidance Patrol''' ({{langx|fa|گشت ارشاد|translit=gašt-e eršâd}}) or '''morality police'''<ref>{{cite news |last1=Ghaedi |first1=Monir |title=Iran's 'morality police:' What do they enforce? |url=https://www.dw.com/en/irans-morality-police-what-do-they-enforce/a-63200711 |access-date=25 September 2022 |work=DW.com |date=23 September 2022 |quote="Gasht-e-Ershad," which translates as "guidance patrols" and is widely known as the "morality police," is a unit of Iran’s police forces tasked with enforcing the laws on Islamic dress code in public. |archive-date=4 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221204102001/https://www.dw.com/en/irans-morality-police-what-do-they-enforce/a-63200711 |url-status=live }}</ref> is an Islamic religious police force and vice squad in the Law Enforcement Command of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Its role is to enforce Sharia law as defined by Iranian legislation, with a particular focus on ensuring compliance with Islamic dress codes, such as mandating that women wear a hijab.<ref name="a2">{{cite news |last1=Sharafedin |first1=Bozorgmehr |date=20 April 2016 |title=Rouhani clashes with Iranian police over undercover hijab agents |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iran-rights-rouhani-idUSKCN0XH0WH |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181208202927/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iran-rights-rouhani-idUSKCN0XH0WH |archive-date=8 December 2018 |access-date=12 August 2016 |website=Reuters}} It was rumored to be dissolved in December 2022 after three months of continuous protest over women's rights in Iran, although this false information was spread by the Islamic Regime of Iran as a tactic to stop the uprising.</ref> Established in 2005 as the successor to the Islamic Revolution Committees, the Guidance Patrol reports directly to the supreme leader.<ref name="auto2" />

==History== [[File:Gasht Ershad.JPG|thumb|A Guidance Patrol van parked in front of Mellat Park, Tehran]] Since the 1979 Iranian Islamic Revolution, Iranian law has required all women in the country to wear a hijab that covers the head and neck and conceals the hair.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.voanews.com/a/calls-grow-for-iran-morality-police-to-change-course-/6668847.html|title=Calls Grow for Iran Morality Police to Change Course|website=VOA|date=July 21, 2022|access-date=27 September 2022|archive-date=30 September 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220930112353/https://www.voanews.com/a/calls-grow-for-iran-morality-police-to-change-course-/6668847.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the Islamic Revolution Committees functioned as Islamic religious police in Iran. In 2005, they were succeeded by the Guidance Patrol which now serves as the official religious police<ref name="a0">{{cite news|first=Thomas|last=Erdbrink|date=7 May 2014|title=When Freedom Is the Right to Stay Under Wraps|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/08/world/middleeast/when-freedom-is-the-right-to-stay-under-wraps.html|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=12 August 2016|archive-date=29 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190629125033/https://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/08/world/middleeast/when-freedom-is-the-right-to-stay-under-wraps.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>C. Michael Hall, Siamak Seyfi (2018). [https://books.google.com/books?id=sCZxDwAAQBAJ&dq=%22Guidance+Patrol%22+iran&pg=PT70 ''Tourism in Iran; Challenges, Development and Issues''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230409140127/https://books.google.com/books?id=sCZxDwAAQBAJ&dq=%22Guidance+Patrol%22+iran&pg=PT70 |date=9 April 2023 }}</ref> and reports directly to the Supreme Leader of Iran.<ref name="auto2">{{Cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2016/05/03/476511439/springtime-in-iran-means-the-morality-police-are-out-in-force|title=Springtime In Iran Means The 'Morality Police' Are Out In Force|work=NPR|date=May 3, 2016|access-date=27 September 2022|archive-date=27 July 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220727075114/https://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2016/05/03/476511439/springtime-in-iran-means-the-morality-police-are-out-in-force|url-status=live}}</ref>

On Iranian Mother's Day in 2013, the Guidance Patrol distributed flowers to women wearing the ''chador'', the preferred style of hijab.<ref name="a4" />

In 2014, Iran's Interior Minister reported that approximately 220,000 women were taken to police stations and signed statements promising to comply with hijab requirements for a period of three months. An additional 19,000 women received hair-covering notices, and 9,000 were detained for violations.<ref name="auto">Misagh Parsa (2016). [https://books.google.com/books?id=cMVQDQAAQBAJ&dq=%22Guidance+Patrol%22+iran&pg=PA22 ''Democracy in Iran; Why It Failed and How It Might Succeed''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231005020603/https://books.google.com/books?id=cMVQDQAAQBAJ&dq=%22Guidance+Patrol%22+iran&pg=PA22 |date=5 October 2023 }}</ref> That same year, the police reportedly issued warnings and guidance to 3.6 million Iranians for failing to observe the Islamic dress code.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.yahoo.com/tech/want-avoid-iranian-morality-police-205421913.html|title=Want to Avoid the Iranian Morality Police? There's an App for That.|website=Yahoo|date=February 10, 2016|access-date=27 September 2022|archive-date=15 November 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231115114110/https://finance.yahoo.com/news/want-avoid-iranian-morality-police-205421913.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://iranhumanrights.org/2016/02/gershad-app/|title=New App that Detects Morality Police is Instant Hit in Iran|date=February 9, 2016|access-date=27 September 2022|archive-date=3 February 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230203025810/https://iranhumanrights.org/2016/02/gershad-app/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.inc.com/melanie-curtin/the-remarkable-reason-men-in-iran-have-started-wearing-hijabs.html|title=The Remarkable Reason Men in Iran Have Started Wearing Hijabs|first=Melanie|last=Curtin|date=August 3, 2016|website=Inc.com|access-date=27 September 2022|archive-date=27 September 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220927172454/https://www.inc.com/melanie-curtin/the-remarkable-reason-men-in-iran-have-started-wearing-hijabs.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2015, during an eight-month period, police in Tehran stopped 40,000 individuals for dress code violations while driving; most of their vehicles were impounded, typically for a week.<ref name="auto" />

In 2016, Tehran deployed 7,000 undercover Guidance Patrol officers to identify and report violations of the dress code.<ref name="auto2" />

===Mahsa Amini controversy=== {{Further|Death of Mahsa Amini}} On 13 September 2022, the Guidance Patrol arrested Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman, for allegedly wearing her headscarf improperly, in a manner that allowed some of her hair to be visible.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-62984076|title=Iran protests: Mahsa Amini's death puts morality police under spotlight|date=September 21, 2022|work=BBC|access-date=27 September 2022|archive-date=23 September 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220923050009/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-62984076|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://jezebel.com/young-woman-s-death-after-arrest-for-improper-hijab-s-1849553444|title=Young Woman's Death After Arrest for 'Improper Hijab' Sparks Protests Across Iran|date=September 19, 2022|website=Jezebel|access-date=27 September 2022|archive-date=17 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230317205255/https://jezebel.com/young-woman-s-death-after-arrest-for-improper-hijab-s-1849553444|url-status=live}}</ref> She died while in custody three days later. The official cause of death was heart failure;<ref>{{cite news|title=Iranian woman dies 'after being beaten by morality police' over hijab law|url=https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2022/sep/16/iranian-woman-dies-after-being-beaten-by-morality-police-over-hijab-law|first=Weronika|last=Strzyżyńska|website=TheGuardian.com|date=2022-09-16|access-date=2022-12-04|archive-date=20 September 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220920020636/https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2022/sep/16/iranian-woman-dies-after-being-beaten-by-morality-police-over-hijab-law|url-status=live}}</ref> however, bruises on her legs and face suggested to many that she had been beaten, despite police denials. Multiple medical officials and detainees who witnessed her arrest claim that Guidance Patrol officials tortured her in the back of a van before arriving at the station. Her detention and subsequent death inspired a wave of protests in Iran, including at Tehran University and Kasra Hospital, which was where she died.<ref>{{cite news|title=Mahsa Amini: dozens injured in Iran protests after death in custody|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/sep/18/mahsa-amini-dozens-injured-in-iran-protests-after-death-in-custody|work=TheGuardian.com|access-date=2021-09-18|archive-date=19 September 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220919035753/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/sep/18/mahsa-amini-dozens-injured-in-iran-protests-after-death-in-custody|url-status=live}}</ref>

Amini's death sparked major protests, "unlike any the country had seen before",<ref name="Nimoni-BBC-anniversary-2023">{{cite news |last1=Nimoni |first1=Fiona |title=Mahsa Amini: Protesters mark one year since death of Iranian student |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-66834156 |access-date=24 September 2023 |agency=BBC News |date=16 September 2023 |archive-date=22 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230922014505/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-66834156 |url-status=live }}</ref> the "biggest challenge" to the government,<ref name="Guardian6November">{{cite news |title=Fresh protests erupt in Iran's universities and Kurdish region |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/nov/06/iran-fresh-protests-universities-kurdish-region |access-date=7 November 2022 |agency=The Guardian |date=6 November 2022 |archive-date=26 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221126042440/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/nov/06/iran-fresh-protests-universities-kurdish-region |url-status=live }}</ref> with an unknown organization starting riots around the country, leaving 10,000s arrested and over 500 killed. <ref name="IHR551">{{cite news |title=One Year Protest Report: At Least 551 Killed and 22 Suspicious Deaths |agency=Iran Human Rights |url=https://iranhr.net/en/articles/6200/ |date=15 September 2023 |access-date=30 September 2023 |archive-date=30 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230930043258/https://iranhr.net/en/articles/6200/ |url-status=live }}</ref> During the protests against the headscarf requirements and the Iranian government in general in late 2022, enforcement of compulsory headscarf was relaxed, and there was even an erroneous report that it would be disbanded.{{efn|In December, a statement by the attorney general was interpreted by many Western media outlets to mean that the hijab law was under review and that the Guidance Patrol might be disbanded.<ref name="disband">{{Cite web |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-63850656 |title=Iran to disband morality police amid ongoing protests, says attorney general |last1=Ardalan |first1=Siavash |last2=Moloney |first2=Marita |publisher=BBC News |date=2022-12-04 |access-date=2022-12-04 |language=en-GB |archive-date=16 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221216182948/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-63850656 |url-status=live }}</ref> This report later was attacked as a "diversion tactic" by the regime.<ref name="CBC-Tizhoosh-5-12-2022">{{cite news |last1=Tizhoosh |first1=Nahayat |title=What Western media got wrong by claiming Iran abolished its morality police |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/iran-morality-police-media-1.6674863 |access-date=30 September 2023 |agency=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation |date=5 December 2022 |archive-date=17 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230917000606/https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/iran-morality-police-media-1.6674863 |url-status=live }}</ref>}}

The morality police in Iran are responsible for ensuring compliance with the country's compulsory dress code laws.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-resolution/1148/text?s=2&r=1&q=%7B%22search%22%3A%22h.res.+1148%22%7D|title=H.Res.1148 — 118th Congress (2023-2024)|work=Congress.gov|date=15 April 2024 |access-date=13 May 2024}}</ref> As of September 2023, a morality crackdown is in process. {{blockquote|The list of punishments for women who disobey the dress code keeps intensifying. Hefty fines, banking restrictions, business closures, jail time, forced labour and travel bans. Being diagnosed as mentally ill.<ref name="Berger-WaPo-after">{{cite news |last1=Berger |first1=Miriam |title=A year after Mahsa Amini's death: Repression and defiance in Iran |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/09/16/iran-mahsa-amini-anniversary-protests/ |access-date=25 September 2023 |newspaper=Washington Post |date=15 September 2023}}</ref>}}

thumb|280x280px|First vice squad of guidance patrol in Tehran In mid-July 2023, after months of a large fraction of younger women ignoring compulsory headscarf,<ref name="Hawley-BBC-2023">{{cite news |last1=Hawley |first1=Caroline |title=Iran's women on Mahsa Amini's death anniversary: 'I wear what I like now' |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-66788392 |access-date=24 September 2023 |agency=BBC News |date=15 September 2023 |archive-date=23 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230923010249/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-66788392 |url-status=live }}</ref> and just before the start of the holy month of Muharram, a spokesman for Iranian law enforcement formally announced that the morality police would return to the streets.<ref name="Moaveni-NYer-7-8-2023">{{cite magazine |last1=Moaveni |first1=Azadeh |title=Letter from Iran The Protests Inside Iran's Girls' Schools |magazine=The New Yorker |date=7 August 2023 |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2023/08/14/the-protests-inside-irans-girls-schools |access-date=24 September 2023 |archive-date=25 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230925170344/https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2023/08/14/the-protests-inside-irans-girls-schools |url-status=live }}</ref> (On 15 July, the day of their return to the streets, widespread internet outages were observed).<ref name="Blout-FP-18-9-2023">{{cite magazine |last1=Blout |first1=Emily |title=ANALYSIS. Why Did Last Year's Protest Movement in Iran Fail? |magazine=Foreign Policy |date=18 September 2023 |url=https://foreignpolicy.com/2023/09/18/iran-protest-women-rights-mahsa-amini-anniversary/ |access-date=27 September 2023 |archive-date=26 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230926233715/https://foreignpolicy.com/2023/09/18/iran-protest-women-rights-mahsa-amini-anniversary/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

In March 2024, a United Nations fact-finding mission concluded that Iran was responsible for the physical violence that led to Mahsa Amini's death in custody. The investigation found that Amini was subjected to severe beatings during her arrest, contradicting Iranian authorities’ persistent denials. The UN report also documented systemic abuses by Iranian security forces during the nationwide protests that followed her death, including arbitrary detentions, torture, and the disproportionate use of force against peaceful demonstrators, particularly women and girls.[https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/iran-is-responsible-for-the-physical-violence-that-killed-mahsa-amini-in-2022-un-probe-finds]

===Alleged dissolution and reinstatement=== The Prosecutor-General of Iran, Mohammad Jafar Montazeri, stated in Qom on 3 December 2022 that the police Guidance Patrol is not under the supervision of the judiciary system and was in the process of being disbanded.<ref name="Disbanded"/> He also said that the hijab law is under review.<ref>{{Cite news |date=3 December 2022 |title=Protest-Hit Iran Reviewing Mandatory Headscarf Law, Official Says |work=Voice of America |publisher= |url=https://www.voanews.com/a/protest-hit-iran-reviewing-mandatory-headscarf-law-official-says-/6861457.html |access-date=4 December 2022 |archive-date=15 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221215112609/https://www.voanews.com/a/protest-hit-iran-reviewing-mandatory-headscarf-law-official-says-/6861457.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=December 3, 2022 |title=Protest-Hit Iran says reviewing mandatory headscarf law |work=France24 |publisher= |url=https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20221203-protest-hit-iran-says-reviewing-mandatory-headscarf-law |access-date=4 December 2022 |archive-date=10 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221210154230/https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20221203-protest-hit-iran-says-reviewing-mandatory-headscarf-law |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=3 December 2022 |title=Iran's hijab law under review: attorney general |url=https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2022/12/irans-hijab-law-under-review-attorney-general |access-date= |website=Al-Monitor |language=en |archive-date=8 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221208210456/https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2022/12/irans-hijab-law-under-review-attorney-general |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://asriran.com/003dyf |title=Prosecutor General of the country: Guidance patrol was closed {{!}} it was closed from the place it was established] |website=asriran.com |date=December 3, 2022 |access-date=4 December 2022 |archive-date=28 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220428114518/http://asriran.com/003dyf |url-status=live }}</ref> However, as of 5 December the Iranian government had not made any official confirmation regarding the disbanding of the guidance patrol, and the Iranian state media denied its dissolution. It was reported that enforcement of the mandatory hijab and the guidance patrol had intensified, particularly in religious cities. In response, a three-day general strike was called by protestors, with shopkeepers closing their businesses; several experts and protestors alleged that the news of the dissolution had been announced by the Iranian government to overshadow coverage of the strike.<ref name=":0">{{cite web |last1=Turak |first1=Natasha |date=5 December 2022 |title=Iran's state media denies abolition of 'morality police' as three-day strike begins |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2022/12/05/iran-denies-abolition-of-morality-police-as-three-day-strike-begins.html |access-date= |website=CNBC |archive-date=17 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221217065040/https://www.cnbc.com/2022/12/05/iran-denies-abolition-of-morality-police-as-three-day-strike-begins.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Wintour |first=Patrick |last2=Foumani |first2=Maryam |date=5 December 2022 |title=Iran: mass strike starts amid mixed messages about abolishing morality police |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/dec/05/iran-strike-abolishment-morality-police |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221217013613/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/dec/05/iran-strike-abolishment-morality-police |archive-date=17 December 2022 |access-date=2022-12-06 |website=The Guardian}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|access-date=2022-12-06|title=Iranian city shops shut after strike call, judiciary blames 'rioters'|url=https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/iranian-city-shops-shut-step-up-pressure-clerical-rulers-2022-12-05/|newspaper=Reuters|date=5 December 2022|via=www.reuters.com|archive-date=19 December 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221219112234/https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/iranian-city-shops-shut-step-up-pressure-clerical-rulers-2022-12-05/|url-status=live}}</ref> Iranian state-run Arabic language channel Al Alam News Network denied any dissolution of the Guidance Patrol and added that "the maximum impression that can be taken" from Montazeri's comment is that the morality police and his branch of government, the judiciary, are unrelated.<ref name=":0" /> On 16 July 2023, the Iranian law enforcement force announced that patrols by the Morality Police would be relaunched.<ref name="Reinststement"/>

===Armita Geravand incident=== In October 2023, a 17-year-old Iranian girl, Armita Geravand, fell into coma and was declared brain dead after an encounter with morality police officers.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2023-10-22 |title=Iranian teenager Armita Geravand is 'brain dead': state media |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/iranian-state-media-teenage-girl-armita-geravand-is-brain-dead-2023-10-22/ |access-date=2023-11-06 |archive-date=22 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231022103428/https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/iranian-state-media-teenage-girl-armita-geravand-is-brain-dead-2023-10-22/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The incident sparked outrage and criticism from human rights groups and social media users, who compared it to the death of Mahsa Amini in 2022.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-10-05 |title=An Iranian girl is hospitalized, fueling new outrage |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/iranian-girl-armita-geravand-hospitalized-morality-police-rcna118787 |access-date=2023-11-06 |website=NBC News |language=en |archive-date=6 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231006041752/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/iranian-girl-armita-geravand-hospitalized-morality-police-rcna118787 |url-status=live }}</ref> Iran denied that Geravand was harmed by the officers and said her condition was due to a pre-existing illness.

===2024 incidents=== In April 2024, two years after the beginning of the ''Women, Life, Freedom'' movement, the Iranian government ordered more violent morality patrols.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-04-14 |title=خوشحالی حسین شریعتمداری از بازگشت گشت ارشاد: با پادوهای دشمن برخورد پشیمان‌کننده شود |url=https://www.etemadonline.com/%D8%A8%D8%AE%D8%B4-%D8%B3%DB%8C%D8%A7%D8%B3%DB%8C-9/657096-%D8%AE%D9%88%D8%B4%D8%AD%D8%A7%D9%84%DB%8C-%D8%AD%D8%B3%DB%8C%D9%86-%D8%B4%D8%B1%DB%8C%D8%B9%D8%AA%D9%85%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%B1%DB%8C-%DA%AF%D8%B4%D8%AA-%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%B4%D8%A7%D8%AF |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240414171041/https://www.etemadonline.com/%D8%A8%D8%AE%D8%B4-%D8%B3%DB%8C%D8%A7%D8%B3%DB%8C-9/657096-%D8%AE%D9%88%D8%B4%D8%AD%D8%A7%D9%84%DB%8C-%D8%AD%D8%B3%DB%8C%D9%86-%D8%B4%D8%B1%DB%8C%D8%B9%D8%AA%D9%85%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%B1%DB%8C-%DA%AF%D8%B4%D8%AA-%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%B4%D8%A7%D8%AF |archive-date=14 April 2024 |access-date=15 April 2024 |website=Etemad Online}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-04-14 |title=اجبار به حجاب، ابزار نمایش قدرت حکومت در خیابان |url=https://www.radiofarda.com/a/32904669.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240414130818/https://www.radiofarda.com/amp/32904669.html |archive-date=14 April 2024 |access-date=15 April 2024 |website=Radio Farda}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-04-13 |title=همزمان با آغاز "طرح پلیس" برای اجرای "قانون" حجاب؛ برخی رسانه‌ها در ایران: برخورد براساس کدام قانون؟ |url=https://ir.voanews.com/a/police-plan-to-implement-the-hijab-law-media-based-on-which-law/7568576.html |access-date=2024-07-07 |website=VOA Farsi}}</ref> A partially implemented secret and classified chastity program law aims to prevent women who do not wear the hijab from leaving the country.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.khabaronline.ir/news/1888209/%D9%BE%D8%A7%D8%B3-%DA%A9%D8%A7%D8%B1%DB%8C-%D9%84%D8%A7%DB%8C%D8%AD%D9%87-%D8%B9%D9%81%D8%A7%D9%81-%D9%88-%D8%AD%D8%AC%D8%A7%D8%A8-%D8%A8%DB%8C%D9%86-%D9%85%D8%AC%D9%84%D8%B3-%D9%88-%D8%B4%D9%88%D8%B1%D8%A7%DB%8C-%D9%86%DA%AF%D9%87%D8%A8%D8%A7%D9%86-%D9%85%D8%AA%D9%86-%D9%88-%D8%AD%D8%A7%D8%B4%DB%8C%D9%87|title=پاس‌کاری لایحه عفاف و حجاب بین مجلس و شورای نگهبان /متن و حاشیه بررسی "محرمانه" و "فوری" یک لایحه - خبرآنلاین|website=www.khabaronline.ir}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.iranintl.com/202404103617 |title=منع سفر زنان مخالف حجاب اجباری به خارج کشور بر اساس لایحه عفاف و حجاب | ایران اینترنشنال |date=10 April 2024 |access-date=15 April 2024 |archive-date=10 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240410182757/https://www.iranintl.com/202404103617 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.radiofarda.com/a/the-law-of-compulsory-hijab-implementation-in-iran/32900132.html |title=برنامهٔ نیروی انتظامی برای اجرای "طرح حجاب و عفاف" قبل از تأیید شورای نگهبان |access-date=15 April 2024 |archive-date=13 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240413180819/https://www.radiofarda.com/amp/the-law-of-compulsory-hijab-implementation-in-iran/32900132.html |url-status=live }}</ref> VOA reported that before the 2024 Islamic Consultative Assembly elections, authorities had encouraged non-hijab-wearing individuals to vote, but later adopted a "factory reset" approach after the elections.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://ir.voanews.com/a/iran-mandatory-hijab-pressure-on-women/7520167.html |title=بازگشت به "تنظیمات اصلی"؛ لحن مسئولان جمهوری اسلامی درباره "حجاب اجباری" پس از گذر از انتخابات تغییر کرد |access-date=15 April 2024 |archive-date=15 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240315134523/https://ir.voanews.com/amp/iran-mandatory-hijab-pressure-on-women/7520167.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The police began issuing penalty notices via a mobile app for unveiled women in vehicles,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-03-19 |orig-date=29 Esfand 1402 |title=پلیس راهور بخش ویژه جریمه حجاب را به اپلیکیشن "پلیس من" اضافه کرد |trans-title=Traffic police adds special hijab penalty to the "My Police" app |url=https://www.iranintl.com/202403194431 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240320050821/https://www.iranintl.com/202403194431 |archive-date=20 March 2024 |access-date=15 April 2024 |website=Iran International |language=fa}}</ref> with fines automatically deducted from citizens' bank accounts.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.iranintl.com/202403101209|title=تایید قانون برداشت جریمه از حساب بانکی زنان مخالف حجاب اجباری|date=3 August 2024|website=ایران اینترنشنال}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://kayhan.london/1403/01/22/346235/ |title=ورود "جهادی" حکومت به موضوع حجاب؛ چراغ سبز علی خامنه‌ای به "آتش‌به‌اختیار"ها علیه مردم - KayhanLondon کیهان لندن |access-date=15 April 2024 |archive-date=11 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240411170759/https://kayhan.london/1403/01/22/346235/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Additionally, the government has routinely closed public cafes and restaurants.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.radiofarda.com/a/mandatory-hijab-in-cafes-and-restaurants-in-tehran/32763810.html |title=روایتی از کشمکش شهروندان و حکومت بر سر حجاب اجباری در کافه‌ها |access-date=15 April 2024 |archive-date=23 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240123122704/https://www.radiofarda.com/amp/mandatory-hijab-in-cafes-and-restaurants-in-tehran/32763810.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

In June 2024, the police deployed 7,000 troops to the beaches to enforce the hijab.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.iranintl.com/en/202406063969|title=Iran Escalates Beach Surveillance Deploying 7,000 Police to Enforce Hijab|website=Iran International|date=6 June 2024 }}</ref> In August 2024, CCTV footage posted online showed police officers severely beating two teenage girls on the street and taking them away.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.dw.com/fa-ir/%D8%AE%D8%B4%D9%88%D9%86%D8%AA-%D9%85%D8%AC%D8%B1%DB%8C%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%B7%D8%B1%D8%AD-%D9%86%D9%88%D8%B1-%D8%B9%D9%84%DB%8C%D9%87-%D8%AF%D9%88-%D8%AF%D8%AE%D8%AA%D8%B1-%D9%BE%D8%B2%D8%B4%DA%A9%DB%8C%D8%A7%D9%86-%D9%BE%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%AE-%D8%AF%D9%87%D8%AF/a-69878055 | title=خشونت مجریان "طرح نور" علیه دو دختر؛ "پزشکیان پاسخ دهد" – Dw – ۱۴۰۳/۵/۱۷ | website=Deutsche Welle }}</ref>

In July 2024, the police shut down Turkish Airlines after the workers resisted police order to cover their hair with headscarf.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.etemadonline.com/%D8%A8%D8%AE%D8%B4-%D8%A7%D8%AC%D8%AA%D9%85%D8%A7%D8%B9%DB%8C-23/666709-%D8%AA%D8%B1%DA%A9%DB%8C%D8%B4-%D8%A7%DB%8C%D8%B1%D9%84%D8%A7%DB%8C%D9%86-%D8%AD%D8%AC%D8%A7%D8%A8-%D9%BE%D9%84%D9%85%D9%BE|title=تسنیم: ماموران پلیس به دفتر ترکیش ایرلاین می‌روند تا اخطار حجاب بدهند که کارکنان با پلیس درگیر می‌شوند/ علت اصلی پلمب درگیری با ماموران پلیس "هم" بوده است|date=3 August 2024|website=اعتمادآنلاین}}</ref>

In August 2024, Minister of Islamic Culture and guidance ordered 1,500 missionary personnel for hijab and chastity to be employed and trained by government called Mujahideen Fatimi.<ref>{{Cite web | title=کادرسازی برای حجاب؛ «طوبی» مکمل «نور» است؟ | url=https://www.sharghdaily.com/%D8%A8%D8%AE%D8%B4-%D8%B3%DB%8C%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%AA-%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%AE%D9%84%DB%8C-216/939001-%DA%A9%D8%A7%D8%AF%D8%B1%D8%B3%D8%A7%D8%B2%DB%8C-%D8%A8%D8%B1%D8%A7%DB%8C-%D8%AD%D8%AC%D8%A7%D8%A8-%D8%B7%D9%88%D8%A8%DB%8C-%D9%85%DA%A9%D9%85%D9%84-%D9%86%D9%88%D8%B1-%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%AA | access-date=2026-04-05 | website=www.sharghdaily.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.iranintl.com/202408055036 | title="طرح طوبی"، تلاش تازه جمهوری اسلامی برای تحمیل حجاب اجباری | date=5 August 2024 }}</ref>

===Response of Masoud Pezeshkian=== On July 28, 2024, Masoud Pezeshkian was elected president of Iran on a liberal platform. His vice-president, Zahra Behrouz-Azar, is a noted critic of the morality police.<ref>{{cite news |title=Iran’s Pezeshkian names critic of morality police as vice-president |url=https://www.straitstimes.com/world/middle-east/iran-s-pezeshkian-names-critic-of-morality-police-as-vice-president |work=The Straits Times |date=11 August 2024 |language=en}}</ref> In September, he told a journalist that the morality police were no longer "supposed to confront" women and should not "bother" them. However, a United Nations report noted that violent incidents were ongoing.<ref>{{cite news |title=Iranian president says morality police will no longer 'bother' women |url=https://www.turkiyetoday.com/region/iranian-president-says-morality-police-will-no-longer-bother-women-53936 |access-date=14 May 2026 |work=Türkiye Today |date=September 17, 2024 |language=en}}</ref>

==Activities== [[File:گشت ارشاد در میدان ونک 2.jpg|thumb|left|Guidance Patrol officers (right) alongside Iranian Police officers (left) ]]Guidance patrols usually consist of a van with a male crew accompanied by ''chador''-clad women who stand at busy public places (''e.g.'', shopping centers, squares, and subway stations), (sometimes assisted by Basij paramilitary),<ref name="Reuters-specialists">{{cite news |title=Iran's Basij force: specialists in cracking down on dissent |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/irans-basij-force-specialists-cracking-down-dissent-2022-09-22/ |access-date=29 September 2023 |work=Reuters |date=22 September 2022 |archive-date=5 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231005020602/https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/irans-basij-force-specialists-cracking-down-dissent-2022-09-22/ |url-status=live }}</ref> to arrest women not wearing hijabs or not wearing them in accordance with government standards.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=6z1BEAAAQBAJ&dq=%22Guidance+Patrol%22+iran&pg=PA325 ''Essential Voices: Poetry of Iran and Its Diaspora''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231005020602/https://books.google.com/books?id=6z1BEAAAQBAJ&dq=%22Guidance+Patrol%22+iran&pg=PA325 |date=5 October 2023 }}, 2021.</ref><ref name="a0"/><ref name="a4">{{cite news|date=5 May 2013|title=Iran: Fashion police|url=https://www.economist.com/blogs/pomegranate/2013/05/iran|newspaper=The Economist|access-date=12 August 2016|archive-date=4 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171204120122/https://www.economist.com/blogs/pomegranate/2013/05/iran|url-status=live}}</ref> According to Amnesty International, "girls as young as seven years old" are forced to wear the hijab.<ref name="auto3">[https://www.justice.gov/eoir/page/file/1258241/download ''Responses to Information Requests; Iran: Dress codes, including enforcement (2016-February 2020)''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230727002214/https://www.justice.gov/eoir/page/file/1258241/download |date=27 July 2023 }}, Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, 21 February 2020.</ref> The United Nations Human Rights Office said young Iranian women were violently slapped in the face, beaten with batons, and pushed into police vans.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/iranian-protests-continue-sparked-by-death-of-young-woman-arrested-for-violating-dress-code|title=Iranian protests continue, sparked by death of young woman arrested for violating dress code|date=September 21, 2022|website=PBS NewsHour|access-date=27 September 2022|archive-date=9 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230409103331/https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/iranian-protests-continue-sparked-by-death-of-young-woman-arrested-for-violating-dress-code|url-status=live}}</ref> The women are driven to a correctional facility or police station, lectured on how to dress, have their photos taken by the police and personal information recorded, are required to destroy any "indecent" clothing with scissors, and generally released to relatives the same day, though many are detained.<ref name="auto4">{{Cite web|url=https://papers.ssrn.com/abstract=3460224|title=Spatial|Data Justice: Mapping and Digitised Strolling against Moral Police in Iran|first=Azadeh|last=Akbari|date=September 26, 2019|doi=10.2139/ssrn.3460224 |ssrn=3460224 |s2cid=208155223 |via=papers.ssrn.com}}</ref><ref name="a4"/><ref name="a0"/><ref name="auto"/> Under Article 683 of Iran's Islamic Penal Code, the penalty for a woman not wearing the hijab consists of imprisonment from 10 days to two months, and a fine of 50,000 to 500,000 Iranian rials (worth approx. $1.20 to $11.90 USD in 2024).<ref name="auto1">Patricia R. Owen (2018). [https://books.google.com/books?id=TZlBDwAAQBAJ&dq=%22Guidance+Patrol%22+iran&pg=PA132 ''Gender and Patriarchy in the Films of Muslim Nations; A Filmographic Study of 21st Century Features from Eight Countries''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231005020604/https://books.google.com/books?id=TZlBDwAAQBAJ&dq=%22Guidance+Patrol%22+iran&pg=PA132 |date=5 October 2023 }}</ref> Violators may also be lashed up to 74 times.<ref name="auto3"/><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.keranews.org/2022-09-30/the-history-of-irans-so-called-morality-police|title=The history of Iran's so-called morality police|date=30 September 2022|website=KERA News|access-date=23 October 2022|archive-date=23 October 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221023062319/https://www.keranews.org/2022-09-30/the-history-of-irans-so-called-morality-police|url-status=live}}</ref>

The Guidance Patrol also monitors immodest attire by men, "Western-style" haircuts worn by men, male-female fraternization, violations of restrictions on the wearing of makeup, the wearing of bright colours, tight clothing, torn jeans, and short trousers, and of trans women.<ref name="auto3"/><ref name="auto1"/><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.news18.com/news/world/iran-anxiety-among-tehran-women-after-mahsa-aminis-death-over-wearing-headscarf-in-improper-way-6013849.html|title=Iran: Anxiety Among Tehran Women After Mahsa Amini's Death Over Wearing Headscarf in 'Improper' Way|date=September 22, 2022|website=News18|access-date=27 September 2022|archive-date=4 November 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221104115141/https://www.news18.com/news/world/iran-anxiety-among-tehran-women-after-mahsa-aminis-death-over-wearing-headscarf-in-improper-way-6013849.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Violations include too much hair showing from under the headscarf, and an unmarried couple taking a walk together.<ref name="auto2"/> Trans women have been harassed for lack of gender conformity.<ref>{{Citation|title=Transgender In Tehran: Arsham's Story|date=21 December 2017|url=https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-transgender/28931543.html|language=en|access-date=2021-06-22|archive-date=2 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190402151506/https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-transgender/28931543.html|url-status=live}}</ref> When an Iranian trans woman was beaten in April 2018, police refused to help her.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2018-05-21|title=Iran's transgender community are being beaten and disowned in spite of legal protections|url=https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2018/05/21/irans-transgender-community-are-being-beaten-and-disowned-in-spite-of-legal-protections/|access-date=2021-06-22|website=PinkNews|language=en-GB|archive-date=28 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190828082215/https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2018/05/21/irans-transgender-community-are-being-beaten-and-disowned-in-spite-of-legal-protections/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Members of the public may turn one another in for perceived violations of the dress code, and traffic cameras are also used to identify violators of the dress code.<ref name="auto3"/> Iran's CCTV camera systems, including those from cafes, universities, and kindergartens, transmit their footage to the police.<ref name="auto4"/>

On 27 December 2017, Brigadier General {{interlanguage link|Hossein Rahimi|fa|حسین_رحیمی}}, head of the Greater Tehran police, said: "According to the commander of the NAJA, those who do not observe Islamic values and have negligence in this area will no longer be taken to detention centers, a legal case will not be made for them, and we will not send them to court; rather, education classes to reform their behavior will be offered."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2017/12/iran-hijab-chador-arrest-morality-police-change-classes.html|title=Iranian women no longer face jail for dress code violations|date=December 28, 2017|website=Al-Monitor|access-date=27 September 2022|archive-date=3 October 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221003083624/https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2017/12/iran-hijab-chador-arrest-morality-police-change-classes.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Sanctions=== On 22 September 2022, during the Mahsa Amini protests, the United States Department of the Treasury announced sanctions against the Guidance Patrol as well as seven senior leaders of Iran's various security organisations, "for violence against protestors and the death of Mahsa Amini". These include Mohammad Rostami Cheshmeh Gachi, chief of Iran's Morality Police, Haj Ahmad Mirzaei, head of the Tehran division of the Morality Police, and other Iranian security officials. The sanctions involve blocking any properties or interests in property within the jurisdiction of the U.S., and reporting them to the U.S. Treasury. Penalties would be imposed on any parties that facilitate transactions or provide services to sanctioned entities.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gottbrath |first=Laurin-Whitney |date=2022-09-22 |title=U.S. sanctions Iran's morality police over death of woman in custody |url=https://www.axios.com/2022/09/22/mahsa-amini-protests-iran-us-sanctions-morality-police |access-date=2022-09-22 |website=Axios |language=en |archive-date=23 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220923115229/https://www.axios.com/2022/09/22/mahsa-amini-protests-iran-us-sanctions-morality-police |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="ustr">{{Cite web|url=https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/jy0969|title=Treasury Sanctions Iran's Morality Police and Senior Security Officials for Violence Against Protesters and the Death of Mahsa Amini|date=22 September 2022|website=United States Department of the Treasury|access-date=23 September 2022|archive-date=23 September 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220923031841/https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/jy0969|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="ussanc2209">{{Cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/designating-irans-morality-police-and-seven-officials-for-human-rights-abuses-in-iran/|title=Designating Iran's Morality Police and Seven Officials for Human Rights Abuses in Iran|date=22 September 2022|website=United States Department of State|access-date=23 September 2022|archive-date=23 September 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220923145437/https://www.state.gov/designating-irans-morality-police-and-seven-officials-for-human-rights-abuses-in-iran/|url-status=live}}</ref>

On 26 September 2022, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stated that the Government of Canada would impose sanctions on the Guidance Patrol, its leadership, and the officials responsible for the death of Mahsa Amini and the crackdown on protesters.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.iranintl.com/en/202209261688|title=Canada To Sanction Those Responsible For Iranian Woman's Death|date=26 September 2022|access-date=27 September 2022|archive-date=26 September 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220926171818/https://www.iranintl.com/en/202209261688|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Religious differences of opinion== {{See also|Ikhtilaf}}

Ali Shariati, viewed as one of the inspirations of the Iranian Revolution, strongly opposed the idea of a morality police.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Murayama |first1=Konomi |title=Ali Shariati’s Views on the Hijab and Its Relation to His Islamic Ideology |journal=Religious Studies in Japan |date=2026 |volume=8 |pages=1-20 |url=https://jpars.org/data/files/religious-studies/RSJ-vol8-article-1-MURAYAMA-n.pdf}}</ref>

Some officials say that in their view the Guidance Patrol is an Islamic religious police, fulfilling the Islamic obligation to Enjoining good and forbidding wrong, and is desired by the people.<ref name="a1">{{cite news|last1=Adib|first1=Muhammad Jawad|date=26 September 2013|title=Iran's 'Guidance Patrols' Stir Controversy|url=http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/09/iran-police-morals-rise-confrontations.html|website=Al-Monitor|access-date=12 August 2016|archive-date=13 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190513133537/https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/09/iran-police-morals-rise-confrontations.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="a3"/> Others oppose the Guidance Patrol's existence on the grounds that the authorities should respect citizens' freedom and dignity, and enforce Iranian law but not enforce Islam.<ref name="a2"/><ref>{{cite news|last1=Karami|first1=Arash|date=27 April 2015|title=Rouhani: Police should not enforce Islam|url=http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/en/originals/2015/04/iran-police-enforce-islam-rouhani.html|website=Al-Monitor|access-date=12 August 2016|archive-date=13 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190513133540/https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/en/originals/2015/04/iran-police-enforce-islam-rouhani.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The Guidance Patrol has been called un-Islamic by some, mostly because performing the requisites is ''haram'' (forbidden) when it leads to sedition.<ref name="a3">{{cite news|last1=Faghihi|first1=Rohollah|date=6 May 2016|title=Morality police go undercover to keep Tehran under cover|url=http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/iran-tehran-morality-police-1509213622/|website=Middle East Eye|access-date=12 August 2016|archive-date=24 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180924190518/https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/iran-tehran-morality-police-1509213622|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="a1"/> Some argue the notion should be a mutual obligation, allowing people to instruct government officials, but in practise it is strictly limited to one side.<ref name="a1"/>

== Surveillance methods == A report issued by the Independent Fact-Checking Mission to Iran noted that the Morality Police increasingly adopted new technologies to enforce its code. The mobile app "Nazer" allows vetted members of the public to report on uncovered women in vehicles and drones are increasingly used to identify uncovered women. Facial recognition software was installed at Tehran's Amirkabir University of Technology to find women not wearing the hijab.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-03-14 |title=Iran using drones and phone apps to monitor strict dress code for women |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c0kg15jkpdeo |access-date=2025-03-20 |website=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref>

== Similar groups and notable cases == * Committee for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice (Gaza Strip) * Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice (Saudi Arabia) * Iranian protests against compulsory hijab * Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice (Afghanistan) * Mahsa Amini, Kurdish Iranian woman who died in police custody after being arrested for an alleged breach of modesty laws, causing mass protests in the country * Zahra Bani Yaghoub, Iranian woman who died in police custody after being arrested for an alleged breach of modesty laws * Homa Darabi, Iranian woman known for her self-immolation protesting the compulsory hijab * Reza Zarei, former chief of Tehran Police in charge of the Guidance Patrol who was found in a brothel, was arrested, and lost his post

==Notes== {{notelist}}

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== {{Commons category-inline}} *Travis Beard (April 1, 2008). [https://www.vice.com/da/article/hair-police-v15n4/ "Hair Police; It’s only recently that Iranian men have become the target of ultraconservative, style-cramping campaigns,"] ''Vice''. *[https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2022/09/26/who-are-irans-hated-morality-police "Who are Iran’s hated morality police?; They are a recent innovation, not a core tenet of Islam,"] ''The Economist'', September 26, 2022. *Pardis Mahdavi (September 26, 2022). [https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/09/26/iran-morality-police-protests/ "Opinion; When Iran’s ‘morality police’ came for me,"] ''The Washington Post''. *[https://www.npr.org/2022/09/30/1126281355/the-history-of-irans-so-called-morality-police "The history of Iran's so-called morality police,"] NPR, September 30, 2022 (''audio'').

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