Iran: Women are not allowed to dance or even ride a bike, they are given strict punishment

Dancing and singing are considered skills in many countries of the world and artists are appreciated and given many awards. On the other hand, in the Muslim country Iran, women are not allowed to sing and dance alone in public. Along with this, women are not even given the freedom to ride a bike. There are many such things which have been banned for women.
Recently it came to light that action has been taken against two girls in Iran for dancing in a public place. According to Iranian media, Iranian officials say that two girls recorded a video dancing in memory of those killed in the Iran-Iraq war, this video went viral on social media. After this, the police have taken both the girls into custody.
Dancing is banned
The crime of the girls in the viral video is not only that they are dancing in a public place, but they have also not followed Iran's dress code law. Both the girls are wearing jeans in the viral video and are not wearing head covers. The authorities have criticized their clothes calling them "inappropriate". Along with this, the social media handle Instagram accounts of both the girls have been blocked.
Dancing has been strictly banned in Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Also, dancing has been called a sin. According to The Sun, earlier some women were punished with 99 lashes for dancing in a public place. However, it is not yet known what punishment has been given to these women after they were taken into custody.
According to The Sun, in 2014, 6 young boys and girls made a dance video, for which they were jailed for 1 year and were given 91 lashes. According to Article 637 of the Iranian Penal Code, dancing in a public place is considered against public modesty (Crime Against Public Modesty).
In September last year, television actress Sahar Dariush allegedly “danced” in a scene of a drama, and legal action was taken against actress Sahar Dolatshahi for dancing. According to the BBC, in the year 2022, a couple in Iran made a video by dancing in public. The couple was sentenced to a full 10 years in prison after the video went viral.
Singing is also banned
In Iran, women are banned not only from dancing but also from singing and riding a bike. According to ABC News, women in the country cannot even sing alone in public places. Singer Parastu Ahmadi sang a song wearing a black dress without covering her head and she was alone in that concert, but she published her song on social media, after which several charges were imposed on her.
Riding a bike is also prohibited
Women in Iran can participate in the sport of motorcycle racing, but they are not legally allowed to ride bikes on city streets due to Iran's Islamic restrictions. Women were allowed to ride bikes in the country before Iran's 1979 Revolution. Although there is no explicit law prohibiting women from riding motorcycles, they are generally banned in practice.
The note, under Article 20 of Iran's traffic laws, states that "it is the responsibility of Iran's police force to issue bike driving licenses to 'men'." According to this note, women are unable to legally drive motorcycles.
Along with this, women in Iran were not allowed to sit in the stadium and watch any sports, but in 2024, for the first time, women sat in the stadium and watched a football match. The Islamic revolution started in 1979 and the ban on women watching football in stadiums began. After this, for the first time in the year 2024, 3 thousand women sat in the stadium and watched a football match.
What are the things that discriminate?
According to Iranprimer , there is discrimination in many matters regarding the rights of men and women in the country.
- Marriage: Iran recently proposed raising the marriage age for girls to 9 years. As of 2002, the marriage age for women is 13 years and for men is 15 years.
- Divorce: In Iran, after a few years of struggle, women have been given the right to divorce. A woman can get divorce in court only by the order of a judge, while a man can get divorce by just saying it. However, before 2002, women did not have the right to divorce. In 2002, the parliament amended the law and allowed a woman to get divorce.
- Dress code: In Iran, there is a strict dress code for women from a young age. According to which, women have to cover their hair and wear loose and modest clothes from a young age.
- Child Custody: According to the law, if a divorced woman remarries, she no longer has the custody of her child.
- Travel: Women in Iran cannot travel outside the country without their husband's permission.
Voice was raised in 2022
In the year 2022, a big movement broke out in Iran regarding the head scarf (hijab). In Iran, a woman named Mahsa Amini was detained for not wearing the hijab properly. Mahsa Amini died in this custody, after which women in the country raised their voice against it. During this protest, hundreds of people including dozens of security personnel were killed and thousands of protesters were arrested.