Iran: Photography shops, barbers and printing shops sealed for being ‘non-Islamic’

File photo: Police arrests a young man for 'improper haircut'

At least 30 shops, including photography shops, barber shops, and printing shops, were sealed in several cities in the Mazandaran Province (northern Iran) under the pretense that they have breached Islamic codes.

This suppressive measure was conducted in two stages in the cities of Amol, Babol and Qaemshahr on Saturday and Tuesday by the department that supervises public places in Mazandaran.

In the past, the Iranian regime’s ‘morality police’ shut down barber shops for reasons that included presenting “western hairstyles”.

In the recent years, many photographers, publishers and artists have been arrested and deprived of their jobs for using social networks such as Instagram and publishing their work on social networks.
Iranian police regularly carry out morality checks, arresting women and youth on the pretext of improper clothing and non-Islamic hairstyles.

The politically motivated crackdowns on women and youth in cities across Iran, along with public hangings, are aimed at increasing fear and intimidation in society to prevent public protests against the regime.