Local media reported on Monday, September 4, that Iran closed down a water park because it permitted women to enter without the obligatory headscarf.

Iran has shuttered a water park for allowing women entry without the mandatory headscarf, local media reported on Monday.

The closure is part of stepped up measures by authorities over the past few months against women and businesses who fail to observe the Islamic republic’s strict dress code.

“The Mojhaye Khoroushan water park has been closed” since Sunday evening, Fars news agency quoted the complex manager Mohammad Babaei as saying.

Babaei said authorities have declared the park’s closure due to people’s “ignoring chastity and hjiab” rules.

Covering the head and the neck has been compulsory for women in Iran since 1983, following the 1979 Islamic revolution.

Babaei insisted that the park has “adhered to the law” and regularly warned female visitors to respect the hijab rules.

Around 1,000 people working at the park are worried about losing their jobs, Babaei told Fars.

Women in Iran have increasingly flouted the dress code since mass protests triggered by the September 16 death in police custody last year of a 22-year-old woman.

Mahsa Amini, an Iranian Kurd, was arrested for allegedly breaching the dress rules.

As part of efforts to enforce the ban over the past few months, businesses have been closed when they do not adhere to the rules, and cameras have been installed in public places to monitor violations.

In July, state media reported increased police patrols aimed at catching those ignoring the law.

Khalil Wakim, with AFP