According to Iranian media, a man was arrested after running over the women in a vehicle after an argument over their clothing, which he found inappropriate. The two women, one of whom was reportedly seriously injured, were taken to the nearest hospital emergency department.
The man, reportedly acted on the Shi’a doctrine of “Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice”, a form of sanctioned vigilantism, which is extols the proper hijab, modest dress and virtuousness in women.
The first week of the month of Moharram in the Islamic lunar calendar, which begins August 10 this year, is dedicated in Iran to “Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice.” Meeting judicial officials Monday, Mohseni-Ejei commemorated the occasion and stressed the importance of judicial duty of “supporting those who promote virtue and prevent vice and Islamic values.”
In September 2014 more than a dozen women were attacked with acid in Esfahan and one died. All the women wore the common hijab of coat and headscarf rather than a longer black full-length veil, covering head to toe.
