IRAN TO MODELS: STOP SHOWING YOUR HAIR
TEHRAN • Iranian police have arrested eight people in a new crackdown targeting “un-Islamic acts” online such as female models posting images of themselves without their hair covered, state media reported Monday, part of a larger cultural struggle in the Islamic Republic over the country’s future.
The arrests follow the detentions of artists, poets, journalists and activists as moderate President Hassan Rouhani’s administration secured a landmark nuclear deal with world powers.
The arrests and harsh sentences handed down signal that hardliners in the police and judiciary, who were unable to stop the accord and fear looser social norms will weaken the Islamic Republic, still hold significant power in the country.
State television said this latest operation, called Spider II, targeted users of the Instagram picture-sharing app. Instagram, owned by Facebook, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The television report included footage of model Elham Arab, known for her portraits in wedding dresses, speaking before Tehran prosecutor Abbas Jafari Dowlatabadi in a conference room, her blond hair hidden under a black chador.
“All people love beauty and fame,” Arab said. “They would like to be seen, but it is important to know what price they will pay to be seen.”
Arab could not be immediately reached for comment. It wasn’t immediately known if she had a lawyer.
The report did not say what charges she faced, nor did it identify the other seven people arrested. It said police identified some 170 people in the operation through social media activity as being involved in modelling, including 58 models, 59 photographers and makeup artists.
It said those targeted saw their businesses shut down, as well as their pages on Instagram and Facebook removed. Arab’s Instagram account could not be accessed Monday.
The previous Spider operation targeted “pornography and insulting Islamic sanctity,” officials have said.
In recent years, Iranian women have worn the mandatory scarf loosely on their heads, drawing the ire of conservatives in the Islamic Republic.