Iran Paramilitary Group to Enforce Islamic Women’s Dress Code

An Iranian paramilitary group will deploy thousands of volunteers to clamp down on women who violate the Islamic dress code, media reported, in a new push-back against government efforts to liberalize society.

Ansar-e-Hezbollah, which receives its funding from conservative sources outside the government, hasn’t applied for a required permit from the Interior Ministry to carry out the patrols, the Shargh newspaper cited Deputy Interior Minister Hossein-Ali Amiri as saying. Its work would parallel the activity of police squads empowered to arrest women who don’t abide by the dress code, which requires women to wear head scarves and loose-fitting coats.