Iran shuts down water park over violation of hijab law: Media

A water park was shut down in Iran after it was reported that it allowed women to visit the place without the mandatory headscarf, reported local media on Monday (September 4).

The closure of the water park is part of the increased measures adopted by the government authorities in the past few months against businesses and women who are not abiding by the strict dress code of the Islamic Republic.

"The Mojhaye Khoroushan water park has been closed" since Sunday evening, complex manager Mohammad Babaei was quoted by Fars news agency as saying. Babaei stated that the closure of the park was ordered by the authorities because people were "ignoring chastity and hijab" rules.

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Park 'adhered to the laws'

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Since 1983, after the 1979 Islamic revolution, women in Iran have had to compulsorily cover the head and the neck. Babaei stated that the park has "adhered to the law" and added that the female visitors were regularly warned to respect the hijab rules.

Speaking to Fars, Babaei said around 1,000 people, who were employed at the park, are now fearful of losing their jobs. The Mojhaye Khoroushan complex, which is spread in 60,000 square metres, is one of the world's largest indoor water parks.

It is located on the outskirts of the northeastern holy city of Mashhad where the eighth Imam of Shiite Islam's shrine is located. The dress code has been increasingly flouted by the women in Iran after mass protests were triggered by the death of a 22-year-old woman Mahsa Amini while in police custody, on September 16 last year.

Amini, an Iranian Kurd, was arrested and kept in police custody for allegedly not following the dress rules. To enforce the ban in the last few months, the authorities have been closing down the businesses that do not adhere to the rules, and have also installed cameras in public places to monitor violations.

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The state media in July reported that increased police patrols were aimed at catching those ignoring the law.

Meanwhile, UN rights experts have stated that the draft law, which includes new penalties for women who are seen without a headscarf in public, can amount to "gender apartheid".

The government and the judiciary proposed a "Support for the Culture of Hijab and Chastity" bill in May, appealing tougher penalties for non-compliance. This increases fines and includes other penalties like temporary confiscation of a woman's vehicle.

"The draft law could be described as a form of gender apartheid. The authorities appear to be governing through systemic discrimination with the intention of suppressing women and girls into total submission,” said eight UN rights expertsin a statement.

(With inputs from agencies)

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