TEL AVIV – Iranian police have shut down 547 restaurants and cafes in the capital Tehran for not observing “Islamic principles” including modesty, the city’s police chief announced Saturday.
“The owners of restaurants and cafes in which Islamic principles were not observed were confronted, and during this operation 547 businesses were closed and 11 offenders arrested,” the police’s website quoted Hossein Rahimi as saying on Saturday.
Offenses included “unconventional advertising in cyberspace, playing illegal music and debauchery,” the regime-affiliated Fars news agency reported.
It added that the operation was carried out over the past 10 days.
“Observing Islamic principles is … one of the police’s main missions and responsibilities,” the police chief said.
Tehran citizens were on Saturday asked by the head of Tehran’s guidance court, which deals with “cultural crimes and social and moral corruption,” to report cases of “immoral behavior” by texting a special phone number.
“People would like to report those breaking the norms but they don’t know how ,” Mohammad Mehdi Hajmohammadi reportedly told the judiciary’s Mizan Online.
“We decided to accelerate dealing with instances of public immoral acts,” he added.
Among the infractions citizens are encouraged to report on include the removal of “hijab in cars,” “hosting mixed dance parties” and posting “immoral content on Instagram.”