2007-07-23 04:54:06
Sun Jul 22, 11:29 AM ET
Iran is to launch a new crackdown Monday on slack dressing that targets both
men and women whose clothing and haircuts are deemed to be unIslamic, police
said.
"The police will act against those whose trousers are too short, have
skin-tight coats, shirts with Western logos and Western hairstyles," said Ahmad
Reza Radan, the head of Tehran's police force.
"We will ask those arrested where they bought their clothes and where they had
their hair cut so those outlets can be closed down," state broadcasting's
website quoted him as saying.
Radan said anyone arrested would receive a warning and have their name added to
a list. "If they reoffend, there will be no pardon."
Since the drive began in April, thousands have been warned and hundreds
arrested across Iran for failing to adhere to the country's Islamic dress code,
its toughest such crackdown in years.
Women in Iran are obliged to cover all bodily contours and their heads but in
recent years many have pushed the boundaries by showing off bare ankles and
fashionably styled hair beneath their headscarves.
Some women still don figure-hugging coats and skimpy headscarves despite the
April crackdown. By renewing the drive, it appears the police want to send a
message that they are serious about enforcing the dress rules.
Many conservatives have applauded the crackdown as important to protect the
security of society, but moderates have publicly questioned whether Iran would
be better off tackling poverty and crime rather than slack dressing.