On Friday, Feb. 27th, a group of people, young and old, male and female were exercising and jogging in Tehran’s Jamshidia Park when they were stopped by a number of Basij militants ordering the men to exercise separately with the women. When the Basijis start to harass and intimidate the group, especially the women, a couple of young girls resisted the harassment and attacked the annoying Basijis pushing them back. Their brave action prompted other people in the group to get bolden and rush to the aid of the courageous young women giving the Basijis a lesson not to forget.
Following the ratification of a bill in the parliament to give the Basij militants legal authority to intimidate and harass women under the guise of “enjoining of virtue and prohibiting vice” the Basij agents have become bolder in bullying young men and women for the implementation of the strict Islamic dress code and male and female social mixing in the society. This has also provoked a backlash in the country emboldening youth especially women to react and resist the mullahs’ repressive rule in Iran.