The campus of Tehran University, Iran's oldest modern educational center, had a tense day May 13 as hundreds of students held rallies against mandatory hijab regulations they said have become more restrictive than ever. The students argue that a set of new laws imposed by university officials are worsening the educational environment by pressuring female students and provoking unnecessary tension.
Some of those students claimed that as part of the new restrictions, university officials have allowed "morality police" patrols inside the campus enforce hijab regulations. Those patrols, already a highly controversial police practice, have been operating for years on the streets in the capital Tehran and other large cities, issuing warnings to women in what is deemed “lax hijab."