Iranian Parliament has approved a bill allowing Basij forces to give verbal warnings to people in public regarding their compliance with the Islamic dress code.
ISNA reports that the Basij organization now has official permission to proceed to the “verbal warning” level in enforcing the Islamic dress code in public.
The Rohani administration has tried to restrict volunteer Basij forces, who are often dispatched by local mosques to enforce hijab (the Islamic dress code) in public by giving warnings and at times even making arrests.
The Ministry of the Interior had stressed that only official government agents could enforce regulations. Despite government resistance, today’s bill allows Basij forces to at least go as far as giving a verbal warning to citizens regarding their attire.
