Women entering a Christian church in Iran were harassed if they were not wearing a hijab, which is required in public places in Iran.
Women who were entering the Orthodox Christian Holy Savior Cathedral in Isfahan were told by Iran’s “morality police” that they had to wear Islamic veils.
While some women complied, others removed their veils in an act of defiance and protest. Many specifically took issue with being forced to wear the veils at a Christian place of worship, which does not ascribe to Islamic laws of modesty.
Iran’s “morality police” are often brutal in their enforcement of these modesty laws, according to Heatstreet. Women who break the laws are sometimes arrested or even beaten.
One woman shared her experience being confronted by the morality police with the My Stealthy Freedom social media campaign:
“The photo that I sent you shows the Vanak [sic] Church of Isfahan. It was ridiculous! Two female officers blamed us for what we’d been wearing, which is such a shame, isn’t it?
How would American Muslims react if they were forced to enter their mosques without hijab? Why should we put up with such a disgrace to women in the name of law? Isn’t this a type of bullying?” she wrote.