Kish Marathon Exposes Growing Rift Over Hijab Enforcement in Iran
The Kish Marathon, one of Iran’s largest public sporting events, has become the center of a national controversy after authorities announced a judicial case against its organizers.
The Kish Marathon, one of Iran’s largest public sporting events, has become the center of a national controversy after authorities announced a judicial case against its organizers, citing the “widespread presence of women without mandatory hijab” during the race. What began as a festive mass-participation event has quickly transformed into a flashpoint exposing the growing divide between hardline judicial institutions pushing for stricter hijab enforcement and the Pezeshkian administration, which has openly resisted coercive approaches.
The marathon—held on Friday, December 5—included three race distances and separate groups of male and female runners. Organizers estimated 5,000 participants, and tourism officials reported that over 25,000 visitors traveled to Kish Island for the event. Images circulating online showing women running with looser or non-compliant clothing prompted swift criticism from conservative media and officials who described the event as a violation of Iran’s public decency rules.
Shortly after the event, the Prosecutor of Kish Island announced that a criminal case had been opened against all organizers, both government-affiliated and private. He declared that the marathon had “violated regulations” and “harmed public morality”, promising that judicial action would be “strict and without leniency.” Two individuals—one from the Kish Free Zone Organization and one from the private organizing company—were detained, though details of the charges remain undisclosed. Judicial restrictions now bar one detainee from public-sector employment and the other from sports management.
Iran’s Track and Field Federation distanced itself from the marathon. Federation President Ehsan Haddadi accused the Kish Free Zone of failing to coordinate with the federation “despite repeated warnings.” Conservative outlets such as Tasnim News Agency framed the event as “norm-breaking” and claimed that organizers ignored dress-code regulations.
Organizers disputed these claims. Payam Dibaj, the marathon director, insisted that all required permits had been issued by the Kish Security Council, the Free Zone Organization, and the Sports Department, and that the event complied with national procedures. He dismissed the federation’s objections as financially motivated, noting that every relevant authority except the federation had approved the event.
The marathon controversy comes at a moment when Iran’s political establishment is deeply divided over how the mandatory hijab law should be enforced. Hardline authorities—including Chief Justice Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei—have pushed for tougher measures, warning that the judiciary will act decisively against “promoters of unveiling and indecency.” Ejei recently ordered intelligence agencies to target “organized networks encouraging non-observance” and promised heavier penalties across the country.
Similarly, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei criticized what he described as “Western cultural influence,” urging domestic media not to repeat Western narratives about women’s rights or mixed-gender activities.
In sharp contrast, President Masoud Pezeshkian’s administration has openly resisted the expansion of coercive hijab enforcement, framing the issue as cultural—not criminal—and warning that force will only deepen social divisions. In a December 7 Student Day speech, Pezeshkian stated: “The issue of hijab cannot be solved through force or command. It must be addressed, but through persuasion. Everything the Leader emphasizes also requires cultural and educational work.”
This resistance was reinforced by the President’s chief of staff, Mohsen Haji-Mirzaei, who said on December 10: “We are facing a cultural matter. Our families are religious, but compulsion and enforcement will not succeed in this domain.” Even a member of the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution acknowledged that the emerging consensus is that police enforcement of hijab should not be physical or direct, underscoring the growing institutional divide.
This is not the first time a running event has triggered judicial intervention. In May 2023, after images of unveiled women appeared from a 10-kilometer race in Shiraz, authorities filed legal cases and the provincial Track and Field chief resigned—despite men and women running separately. The pattern now appears to be repeating on Kish Island.
The Kish Marathon—celebrated online as a rare moment of openness and communal joy—has become a powerful symbol of Iran’s wider struggle over public freedoms. It now sits squarely at the center of a broader confrontation: on one side, judicial hardliners urging intensified hijab enforcement, and on the other, Pezeshkian’s government attempting to shift the state’s approach toward cultural engagement and away from coercion.
As legal proceedings continue against the marathon organizers, the controversy is likely to remain a defining example of the ongoing conflict between Iran’s competing visions of governance, society, and personal freedoms.