A water park in Iran has been closed after reports emerged that it permitted women to enter without wearing the compulsory headscarf, according to local media sources on Monday, September 4.
The closure of the water park is part of a series of stricter measures implemented by government authorities in recent months against businesses and women who fail to adhere to the strict dress code of the Islamic Republic.
Mohammad Babaei, the manager of the Mojhaye Khoroushan water park, was quoted by the Fars news agency as saying, “The Mojhaye Khoroushan water park has been closed” since Sunday evening, adding that the park was closed by authorities due to people “ignoring chastity and hijab rules.”
Women in Iran have been required to cover their heads and necks since 1983, following the 1979 Islamic revolution. Babaei claimed that the park had always followed the law and stated that female visitors were regularly reminded to adhere to the hijab rules.
Speaking to Fars, Babaei expressed concern that approximately 1,000 park employees could lose their jobs as a result of the closure. The Mojhaye Khoroushan complex, spanning 60,000 square meters, is one of the world’s largest indoor water parks. It is located on the outskirts of Mashhad, a holy city in northeastern Iran housing the shrine of the eighth Imam of Shiite Islam.
In recent months, women in Iran have increasingly flouted the dress code, with mass protests ignited by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody on September 16 last year. Amini, an Iranian Kurd, was arrested and detained for allegedly violating the dress rules.
To enforce compliance with the dress code, authorities have been shutting down businesses that do not adhere to the rules and installing surveillance cameras in public places to monitor violations. Increased police patrols have also been reported as part of these efforts.
UN rights experts have criticized a draft law proposed by the government and judiciary that includes stricter penalties for women seen without headscarves in public, describing it as a form of “gender apartheid.” The draft law, titled “Support for the Culture of Hijab and Chastity,” increases fines and introduces penalties like temporary confiscation of a woman’s vehicle.