The government has taken action against the Azki.com insurer because of this broken regulation.
The Iranian government has suspended the operations of an insurance company called Azki.com after female employees were photographed without wearing the hijab, which is mandatory in business in the country.
The insurer is a start-up that sells coverage contracts from main government insurers in Iran.
The discovery of the pictures showed that some female employees of the insurance company weren’t wearing their headscarves. This drew heavy criticism from large media in Iran, which demanded that the government shut the company down for not enforcing the mandatory hijabs on its female employees.
Azki.com issued a response to the statements at the end of July, stating that it was required to suspend its operations while the government conducts an investigation into the matter. The company also clarified that the unauthorized publication of the photographs was in no way a reflection of its commitment to the enforcement of Iranian laws, including the hijab regulations.
The insurance company is far from alone among companies caught having violated the rule.
Iran has been experiencing a growing trend of women who have been defying the mandatory hijab rule. Women have been increasingly going out in public without their headscarves. This is particularly true during the rising anti-regime protests the country has experienced.
At first, the regime was hesitant to react, as it didn’t want to risk additional public backlash. That said, it has sent its “morality police” patrols back out onto the streets again. Those patrols will stop and interrogate women who aren’t wearing hijab. They also have the authority to impose steep fines or to refer them to courts where they risk severe punishment.
The suspension of Azki.com has arrived on the heels of the previous action the Iranian government took against Digikala, which is frequently nicknamed as the Amazon of Iran. That company was suspended on July 24 due to similar rule violations. Female employees at that company were photographed without their hijab, causing hardliners to demand that the company and its staff be punished.
Both the Azki.com insurance company and Digikala are among a large and growing number of firms the regime has been targeting for failing to enforce mandatory hijab regulations. Several businesses have faced closures as a result of the Iranian government’s crackdowns.
