TEHRAN: Around 1,000 Iranians staged a rally on Friday to demand that the government fully enforce obligatory rules that women be veiled in public.
The demonstrators, both men and women, protested in central Tehran, carrying placards and chanting that the authorities 鈥渕ust stop the spread of vice鈥� and enforce the hijab.
A dedicated 鈥渕orality police鈥� has long handed out fines, verbal notices or even arrested women it considers are not observing the rules properly.
鈥淚n some parts of the city, the veils are coming off right now and the full violation of hijab can be witnessed,鈥� Hojjatoleslam Kazem Sediqi said in a Friday prayers speech at Tehran University, shortly before the rally.