Police in the central city of Arak arrested a young Iranian couple after a marriage proposal in public that was captured on a video clip that went viral on social media.
The police said the pair had contravened Islamic principles but were later released on bail.
The video, which was shared on social media last Friday, shows the pair standing in a ring of rose petals.
After the woman says “yes,” the man slips a ring on her finger to cheers from a crowd of onlookers. The two were not identified.
The woman can be seen hugging her partner as the crowd celebrates.
However soon after the video was posted online and went viral, the couple were taken in by the police for breaking Iran’s strict Islamic code.
Arak deputy police chief Mostafa Norouzi later told the Shahrvand daily that the young couple’s ‘offense is very clear and there is no need for explanation’.
He added that it was unacceptable for the couple ‘to do whatever is common in other places of the world and disregard mores, culture and religion’.
Lawyer Isa Amini, head of the Tehran Bar Association, criticized the arrest and said he could not understand what the grounds were for such an action since the couple did not commit any wrongdoing.
However, the state-run Fars news agency called the public proposal “shameful” and claimed it could promote “immorality.” The agency demanded “harsh” punishment to stop such displays from being repeated by others.
According to the Islamic laws that govern Iran, men and women are forbidden from exhibiting public displays of affection as the country deems it an influence of corrupt Western ideals.
The law also prohibits kissing and dancing in public.
