RoP News }: Iran orders crackdown on sale of dolls resembling gorillas and pigs, deemed offensive to Shiite religious figures

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Image featured on a campaign page calling for legal action against the makers of dolls resembling gorillas and pigs, which petitioners say insult Shiite religious figures.


Iran’s judiciary has instructed law enforcement to identify and prosecute those producing and selling dolls deemed offensive to Shiite sanctities, after they appeared on online marketplaces and social media, the judiciary’s news agency reported.

Mizan's report said the sale of such dolls has recently become common on social media platforms and in certain stores, adding that many sellers are unaware of their “anti-religious nature.”

The prosecutor’s office instructed judicial officers to identify those involved in the production, distribution, and marketing of the dolls as soon as possible and to hand over the suspects to the judiciary, the report added.

Mizan’s report comes a day after a petition was launched on Karzar.net, a government-monitored Iranian petition platform, calling on the judiciary to prosecute those behind the dolls and tighten oversight of online sales.

The campaign, which has gathered more than 3,300 signatures since Saturday, accuses the manufacturers of insulting Shiite sanctities.

The dolls, marketed under names such as Morteza and Marziyeh, are designed as stress-relief toys shaped like animals including gorillas, monkeys, or pigs.

The name Morteza is a title associated with Imam Ali, the cousin and son-in-law of Prophet Muhammad revered by Shiite Muslims as the first Imam. Marziyeh is also a title associated with Fatimah, the Prophet’s daughter and a central figure in Shiite Islam.

According to Iranian media reports, the dolls have been sold on Iran’s biggest online marketplace Digikala and other platforms, including Instagram.