Iranian Couple Arrested Because Their Romantic Marriage Proposal Was Deemed Offensive

A couple in Iran was arrested after Iranian officials deemed the marriage proposal in a public shopping mall a violation of Islamic doctrines.

Footage of the proposal was uploaded on Twitter by Iranian journalist Sobhan Hassanvand. It shows the couple standing in a ring of roses surrounded by a crowd of people in a shopping mall. The man puts the ring on the woman’s finger to cheers from the crowd. They give each other an emotional hug as the crowd whooped and clapped for the happy couple.

The viral video had over 3 million views and was retweeted and liked thousands of times.

But what should have been a happy occasion for the lovebirds was derailed by the Iranian government. Police soon arrested the couple after the video went viral, according to Daily Mail.

According to the Deputy Police Chief Mostafa Norouzi for the city of Arak, the arrest of the happy couple needs no explanation as the “offense is very clear.”

The article by Daily Mail gives an insight into what laws were broken that provoked such a dramatic response by Iranian authorities. Iran adheres to Islamic law, which dictates that men and women are not permitted to display affection in public. Such displays are considered a corrupt practice carried out by Western ideals, which Islamic law opposes.

This doctrine also forbids other public displays of affection such as kissing and even restricts some dancing in public.

Fans in the comment section of the video decried the arrest and questioned why the Iranian authorities were so concerned about the public display, especially considering everyone in the video appeared to be thrilled for the couple.

Some argued that the couple would have been well aware of the country’s laws but chose to violate them anyway, which means the police were simply doing their jobs and the couple was in the wrong.

This isn’t the first time citizens of Iran have become outraged over law enforcement measures meant to prevent public outrage.

In 2018, a teenager was arrested after she posted a video of herself dancing to western music on Instagram. Law enforcement likely saw Islamic law violations for both the public display of dancing and choosing to play western music.

A large number of women in Iran protested the teenager’s arrest by going onto the streets and filming themselves dancing in crowds.

In spite of the public outrage, the couple remained under arrest until they were able to post bail.