Over last weekend, as Iran began its air assault against Israel, at home it announced new enforcement of the mandatory wearing of the hijab. The initiative is called the Nour (Light) Plan.
The crackdown followed a statement by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who said that ignoring the hijab was a red line that should not be crossed.
By Thursday, Voice of America was receiving reports, also circulating on social media, of an ongoing and pervasive deployment of special forces, law enforcement personnel and plainclothes agents of the Islamic Republic on the streets of numerous cities in Iran.
Despite the detention of numerous women and girls, the civil resistance by women against government forces on the streets of Iran persists, garnering support from users on social networks.
Fatemeh Heydari, the sister of Javad Heydari, a young protester who was killed during the nationwide protests of 2022 in Qazvin, took to the social media platform X. She referred to the detention of Aida Shakarami, the sister of another slain protester, Nika Shakarami, in the Women, Life, Freedom protests, saying: "The fight that Nikas started, Aidas continue."
Gohar Eshghi, the mother of Sattar Beheshti, a laborer and blogger who died under interrogation during his detention, also spoke out.
"The criminal oppressors of the Khamenei regime have arrested Aida Shakarami. Silence in the face of the war against the girls and women of our nation means complicity with the bloodthirsty oppressors," she said.
Some observers, reflecting on recent statements by Khamenei, have underscored that the directive has come from the top. Among this group is Ehsan Soltani, a political analyst.
"Two weeks ago,” Soltani said, “Khamenei officially declared that 'hijab is a religious obligation; whether you accept it or not, you must adhere to it.' For three decades, he either remained elusive or claimed, 'I am not an expert,' whenever a decision was made. However, this time, he personally stepped forward and issued the command for internal war."
Since Khamenei’s statement, observers believe he is responsible for the extensive actions of government authorities. After the Supreme Leader stressed the imperative of escalating pressure to uphold what he termed "adherence to Islamic standards," the police commander declared that stringent measures would be enforced to ensure compulsory hijab beginning April 13.
