Since the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini under the custody of the Iranian morality police for allegedly not wearing her hijab correctly, massive waves of demonstrations, primarily led by Iranian women, have challenged not just the country’s mandatory hijab law but also the regime that strictly enforces it.
I call on international pharmacists to support their Iranian colleagues. Many women lost their job for the crime of resisting compulsory hijab laws. Forcing women to wear hijab is an insult to all women and men across the globe. Human rights is a global matter. Show your…
— Masih Alinejad (@AlinejadMasih) March 7, 2023
But while the protests that have started since September 2022 brought the issue to the international stage, the Islamic Republic only intensified its crackdowns further against any dissident, man or woman. The Iranian government detained thousands of protesters, tortured several dissidents, and even sentenced them to death.
In its latest attempt to suppress dissent, the Iranian Food and Drug Administration released a new order that required female pharmacy workers to wear a black hijab while at work.
A few weeks ago, officials from the agency sent letters to trade unions urging them to strictly implement the new mandatory law in stores and businesses across Iran’s capital, Tehran.
The new directive also requires pharmacy managers to monitor how their female employees wear the hijab. Online news site Iran International also reported that anyone wishing to open a new pharmacy should submit a written commitment to authorities promising to follow this new rule.
However, Iranian male pharmacy workers showed their support and solidarity for their female co-workers and mocked the law by wearing black hijabs themselves while at work.
A new law in Iran has been issued by regime which forces female pharmacists to only wear black veil (any other type of hijab or color is prohibited) in workplace, as a response male pharmacists are wearing it as well to mock this law pic.twitter.com/vo2sp7CvdH
— ZenArchie (@zenarchy2) March 7, 2023
The hilarious photos of male pharmacy workers wearing black hijabs became viral on social media, especially on popular social news and forum site Reddit. Many netizens were happy with their defiance against the regime and praised the men for their bravery.
Male Pharmacists in Iran wearing Hijabs in response to women being forced to wear them pic.twitter.com/ikxU6KNXe8
— Anna Quintana Pablo (@AnnaQuin07) March 12, 2023
"Wondering if this will backfire on the men or not? But good for them for standing in unity." Reddit user u/GregoryGregory666666 commented on the photo posted in the subreddit r/interestingasf**k.
A new law in Iran has been issued by regime which forces female pharmacists to only wear black veil (any other type of hijab or color is prohibited) in workplace, as a response male pharmacists are wearing it as well to mock this law
by u/Opening_List2562 in interestingasfuck
"Those men are incredibly brave! I hope they and their families stay safe!” Another Redditor u/ZoopZeZoop said.
One of the most upvoted comments in the post even asked why the law only required black hijabs to be worn and not other colors, which garnered many replies mocking the mandatory rule of hijab in many Islamic countries.
Although Iranian male pharmacy workers and netizens worldwide made fun of the new mandatory hijab law, the government seems bent on imposing the rule harshly and seriously.
A few weeks ago, two pharmacies in Tehran and Amol were shut down by authorities because their female employees allegedly wore their hijabs incorrectly. But the head of the Mizan news agency, a media outlet connected to the Iranian judiciary, claimed that the pharmacy in Tehran was closed because "its owner disrespected the person who warned her to observe the hijab.”
