Two Tehrans have been on show since Mahsa Amini died in morality police custody last week — the city of black-clad women castigating “improper” dress and a rival city that resents being told what to wear.
For the past week since the 22-year-old’s death three days after being arrested for wearing the Islamic headscarf “improperly”, protesters have taken to the streets each evening in various parts of the capital.
According to images spread on social media, women demonstrators have even taken off their headscarves and burned them in protest at the omnipresent morality police charged with enforcing the dress code Amini was alleged to have breached.
Under rules imposed shortly after the Islamic revolution of 1979, women are required to conceal their hair with a headscarf and to wear loose fitting trousers under their coats. Ripped jeans and less than full-length trousers are banned.
On Friday, outside Tehran University, supporters of the mandatory dress code gathered for a counter rally not far from Hijab (Headscarf) Street, one of the locations of nightly protests.
Women clad in black cloaks joined men brandishing the Islamic republic flag and placards expressing appreciation for the security forces.