Men in Iran wear hijabs to protest 'morality police'

As a show of solidarity with women in Iran protesting the hijab, men have taken to wearing the garment.

"Morality police" enforce the rule that the headscarf is worn and has been since the Islamic revolution of 1979. Women who show their hair and do not wear the hijab face punishments ranging from fines to imprisonment.

By not wearing a hijab, women are told they are putting themselves at risk of unwanted sexual advances, and state funded adverts present women showing their hair as dishonourable.

A number of photos have surfaced of men wearing a hijab while their wife has her head uncovered, the Independent reported.

The images are aresponse to a call by Iranian activist Masih Alinejad, who runs the My Stealthy Freedom campaign.

"Most of these men are living inside Iran and they have witnessed how their female relatives have been suffering at the hands of the morality police and humiliation of enforced hijab," she told the Independent.

"For years, from childhood to womanhood, we've been forced to wear the compulsory headscarf and for years we have had to endure the loss of our dignity. Many men have gotten used to seeing women in compulsory hijab every day and you think that is normal. But for millions of Iranian women, this compulsory hijab is an insult to their dignity."

"In our society, a woman's existence and identity is justified by a man's integrity, and in many cases the teachings of a religious authority or government officials influence a man's misguided sense of ownership over women. So I thought it would be fantastic to invite men to support women's rights."

Women are furthering protests against enforced hijab across Iran and some have resorted to shaving their hair in order to appear in public without wearing a veil.