Iranian police arrest women partaking in anti-hijab campaign

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - Iranian police say they have detained 29 women they described as "deceived" who removed their obligatory Islamic veils in protest.

The Thursday report by the private Tasnim news agency, which is close to the government, said the detainees were taking part in an anti-hijab campaign known as "White Wednesdays."

Under the campaign advocated by foreign-based Farsi language satellite TV networks, participants should take their white-colored scarves off on Wednesdays.

The report did not elaborate on the time and place of the arrests.

In recent days, social media postings have shown several women protesting the obligatory Muslim headscarf by taking theirs off and waving them on sticks in locations around Tehran and other cities.

Women showing their hair in public can be jailed for up to two months or fined $25.