Source: www.persecution.org
Date: December 8, 2022
Iran (International Christian Concern) – There have been reports from Iranian authorities claiming the Morality police have been disbanded. During a press conference, Iran’s Prosecutor General, Mohammad Jafar said, “The ‘morality police’ has nothing to do with the judiciary and it was closed by whichever [body] that established it in the past.” Then he added “The judiciary will continue to regulate people’s behavior in society,” indicating that the policing of women’s bodies under compulsory veiling laws will continue.” But no one of authority has been able to confirm the actual dismantling of the morality police.
The issue with these statements lies in the fact that compulsory veiling is a part of the penal code and other laws within Iran, meaning these discriminatory practices against women is deeply entrenched in the way authorities abuse their power. Until these laws are undone, there can be no safe space for women to choose their own religious beliefs and practices. So religious minorities and Christians will continue to be at risk in Iran as police and other authorities find reasons justified within their laws to arrest women. Heba Morayef of Amnesty International says “It is important to remember that protesters in Iran are not calling just for the dismantling of the ‘morality police’ but for the transition of Iran to a new political and legal system that would respect their basic human rights and freedoms.”
Regardless of the unverifiable fact of the morality police being shut down, the lack of religious freedom is still very much a fight that is not close to rectified in Iran. ICC has been bringing awareness to these human rights issues throughout the years, but now the Iranian people are also demanding these rights during this revolution.
HOW TO PRAY: Pray for increased human rights in Iran. Pray for protection for Iranian minorities from the morality police. Pray for the gospel to spread among the Muslim community in Iran.