Iranian police arrest models, photographers and makeup artists in Iran claiming that they target “Un-Islamic acts." They use Instagram accounts of women to track them. There have been at least eight arrests so far. The police say that posing for photos without a headscarf is "pornography..."
The dragnet operation involved 170 people including 58 models, 59 photographers, and makeup artists. At least eight arrests have been confirmed so far. The police also detained a few artists and poets to round out the initiative.
In recent years, Iranian women — especially in the capital, Tehran — have skirted the rules by wearing the mandatory scarf loosely on their head, drawing the anger of conservatives in the Islamic Republic.
Women can easily drop the scarf to snap a photo. The police chief, Gen. Hossein Sajedinia, is not taking this rebellion lightly. Maj. Dickhead Hossein just announced that his department has deployed 7,000 male and female officers for a new plainclothes division — the largest such undercover assignment in memory — to enforce the government-mandated Islamic dress code.
This isn’t the first time Iran has gone berserk over minor cultural rebellion. In 2014, police arrested a group of Iranian women for posting a video online of themselves dancing to Pharrell Williams’ song “Happy.” The group involved each received suspended sentences of 6 months’ imprisonment and 91 lashes.
Shield your eyes, all you hard-liners in Tehran. Iranian women without headscarves…
This young lady’s Instagram was just deleted.
The identities of the arrested have not been released but the Iranian television report included footage of model Elham Arab, known for her portraits in wedding dresses, speaking before a Tehran prosecutor.
This is a photo of Elham on national TV with her hair covered.
And this is a photo of Elham with her beautiful blonde locks dangerously exposed. Elham recently told a reporter “People love beauty… They would like to be seen, but it is important to know what price they will pay to be seen.” Elham is willing to pay the price, brave beauty.
Elham’s Instagram has also been deleted.
Iran is in the midst of a modeling crackdown, complete with plainclothes police enforcing a public dress code; a fossilized government clinging to power at the expense of women’s rights.
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Editorialize much?