Iran continues to strictly enforce its mandatory hijab laws, despite massive pushback from many Iranians. This time, the Islamic Republic released a new rule for drivers, ordering female passengers and drivers to wear hijabs while inside their vehicles or risk impoundment.
Fars News Agency, the state-owned news network connected to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), released a video explaining this new directive on April 17th as part of a broader campaign to further implement its mandatory dress code amidst increasing pressure and opposition from many Iranians.
Since taking over Afghanistan in August 2021, the Taliban has struggled to gain recognition from the international community despite aggressively campaigning for it. But this situation may soon change as a top United Nations official discussed the possibility of recognizing the country’s Taliban authorities.
Amina Mohammed, the United Nations deputy secretary-general, said on April 17th that the organization would set up a meeting to talk about granting international recognition to the Taliban, emphasizing the importance of engaging with Afghanistan’s fundamentalist authorities.
With many Iranians pushing back against the mandatory hijab laws implemented by the Islamic Republic, it seems the Islamic Republic will continue pushing women to wear hijabs, even after their death.
The Iranian government forced a family in Kermanshah, west of Iran, to remove the picture of their deceased daughter from her tombstone because she was not wearing a hijab.
A lawsuit was filed against the State Department of the US government for discriminating against a guard when he was allegedly forced to shave his beard to keep his job at the agency.
The case was filed on May 3rd by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) on behalf of security guard Devin Brooks against the US State Department and State Secretary Anthony Blinken. The suit stated that the agency “denied permission to maintain a beard longer than ½ inch,” as required by Brook’s Islamic faith.
A sweeping new report by the UK government’s faith adviser has been published, making it the most comprehensive review of the relationship between the British government and the country’s many religious organizations in more than a generation.
A local Muslim religious leader was beaten to death by an angry mob in Pakistan after allegedly making “blasphemous” remarks during an opposition party rally, which came at a time when lynchings due to blasphemy allegations continue to rise in the country.
A Muslim religious leader has been beaten to death in Pakistan for allegedly making ‘blasphemous remarks’ during a speech at a rally for Imran Khan’s opposition PTI party pic.twitter.com/KPi7opmvXt
Iranian authorities announced that two men accused of blasphemy were hanged amidst a rising number of executions since the protests that rocked the country following the death of Mahsa Amini under police custody in September 2022.
As the protests against the Islamic Republic in Iran enter their eighth month after the death of Mahsa Amini in September 2022 under police custody, many in the country are shocked to learn about the assassination of a senior cleric in a bank on April 26.
Minneapolis recently amended its noise ordinance to allow mosques to broadcast adhan or amplified prayer calls for Muslims at any time of the day, making it the first major city in the United States to allow all five daily calls to be broadcast at any time.
As Iran’s government continues to crack down on dissent against its mandatory hijab laws and enforce them more strictly, the policy created an unintended negative economic consequence: Massive unemployment among tens of thousands of Iranians.
The considerable loss of jobs comes as the Islamic Republic closed down at least 2,000 businesses in March alone after women refused to comply with its mandatory hijab rules, resulting in tens of thousands losing their jobs.
