In a world of mass communication, it sort of goes without saying that we'll end up spending a lot of the day chatting to men. We're not just talking illicit sexting with a guy we've just met on Tinder, but, like, entirely harmless conversations with people who happen to be blokes – tweeting silly puns to randoms, emailing someone for a restaurant booking, posting inappropriate links onto friends' Facebook walls.
Imagine, then, being banned from talking to all of these men. Because that's what's going to happen in Iran. The Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has just issued a fatwa banning unrelated men and women chatting online. ‘Given the immorality that often applies to this, it’s not permitted,’ he said.
No word yet on what the punishments are actually going to be, but based on Iranian legal precedents it’s not looking good. The system is so religiously conservative that, if accused of multiple extramarital affairs, a person can be stoned to death. Amputation is still seen as legitimate punishment and the age of criminal responsibility is skewed; for girls it’s nine, for boys it’s 15. F-ed up or what?
Picture: Getty
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.