Iran closes water park over hijab law violation

Iran has shuttered a water park for allowing women entry without the mandatory headscarf, local media reports.

The closure is part of stepped-up measures by authorities over the past few months against women and businesses who fail to observe the Islamic Republic’s strict dress code.

“The Mojhaye Khoroushan water park has been closed” since Sunday evening, Fars news agency quotes the complex manager Mohammad Babaei as saying.

کوتاه: پارک آبی ‘موج‌های خر‌وشان’ مشهد پلمب شد. روزنامه صبح امروز مشهد نوشته دلیل این پلمب «عدم رعایت حجاب» بوده است. pic.twitter.com/Yv2itOX4IP

— Arash Hashemi • آرش هاشمی (@iaaraash) September 3, 2023

Babaei says authorities have declared the park’s closure due to people’s “ignoring chastity and hjiab” rules.

Covering the head and the neck has been compulsory for women in Iran since 1983, following the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Babaei insists that the park has “adhered to the law” and regularly warns female visitors to respect the hijab rules.

Around 1,000 people working at the park are worried about losing their jobs, Babaei tells Fars.