Iran Cracks Down On Women's Dress Code

Police Arrest Nearly 300 Women Accused Of Not Covering Up Enough

(AP)  So far, 278 women have been detained, 231 of whom were released after they signed papers promising they won't appear "inadequately dressed in public," police spokesman Col. Mahi Ahmadi told The Associated Press Monday.

Another 3,548 women have been given "warnings and Islamic guidance," without being detained, Ahmadi said.

Twelve men have also been detained for "not observing the proper Islamic dress code" by wearing tight pants or short-sleeve shirts, he said.

Every spring, there are calls by clerics for a crackdown, and the past two years have seen minor, localized sweeps. But this year's was the first since before Khatami's presidency to see so many arrests and had high prominence in the government media, warning women to adhere to Islamic dress.

Ahmadi said the sweep would go on "as long as necessary," but it was not clear whether it heralded an all-out, permanent campaign to bar looser dress codes.

One hard-liner cleric on Monday warned of a backlash. "In many cases, the use of force in the fight against social harms can backfire," the head of judiciary, Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi, said, according to the state news agency IRNA.

But many conservatives were applauding the crackdown, launched after a call from senior hard-line clerics in the holy city of Qom to tighten the reins.

"All are responsible towards the problem of inadequate dress," Ayatollah Nasser Makarem Shirazi, one senior Qom cleric, told newspapers.

Mostafa Pourmohammadi, the interior minister in charge of the campaign, said it would please the people by restoring social stability.

"People are unhappy with the social and moral status of the society. They expect that the fight against social insecurity be properly implemented," Pourmohammadi was quoted in the conservative daily Resalat as saying.

Hard-line lawmaker, Mohammad Taqi Rahbar, said the looser dress codes had prompted Iranian women and families "to cry out" for help. "Men see models in the streets and ignore their own wives at home. This weakens the pillars of family," he said.

Ever since Ahmadinejad won the presidency in 2005 elections, Iranians have been fearing a return to the prohibitions on "un-Islamic" dress, music, male and female mixing and the other restrictions from the revolution's heyday.

But criticism of the president has been increasing as prices for basic good like food and housing have increased in past months — despite his campaign promises to reduce poverty.

"The problem of our country is unemployment, rapid increase in the number of crimes and murders, not women's dress," said Sadeq Rowshani, a bank clerk.

[michellem99-2009]

I met an American woman here in the US of A who was covered head to toe. Only her eyes were seem.She had a pretty voice. I met wemen who wear the veil. It is not my place to tell her how to dress her body. The lady in the pic,her head covered so some hair is shown. A pretty coloured veil. This is 07. It is sad she can't wear clothes becomimig to her.

[tbweb]

History is famous for repeating itself! Just like an Iranian Revolution got rid of Shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, a similar Iranian Revolution can get rid of the Mullah's and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and hopefully get rid of it's nuclear program with them. There is no fury like women scorned! Iran better let them ladies dress the way they please. Iranian women and Arab women as well see how modern women in "FREE" nations are living and advancing and this relic of a distant past won't stand for forever! Religious rule "only" is very dangerous!

[aisat2666]

Naked, just what is wrong with naked? All the rebellious belief they profess to have, maybe they should slack off a little and be a little more religious and have faith. Yes, naked is the way to go maybe Ahab won%u2019t be so quick to shoot. The ladies were brought into this world without clothing, the closest thing to pure religion than most anything. Naked, our troops would be home in a matter of days. God gave us free will.

[zootallures2]

IRGC: Propaganda and Psychological War waged by US is Doomed to Failure

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard's Corps, IRGC, has stressed that the political propaganda and psychological war waged by the United States against the Iranian people is doomed to fail.

[kansas1946]

There you go. A country run by religious zealots, making laws based on their radical beliefs, forcing others to follow those radical religious beliefs, and couching their behaviour with the "This country was founded on Islamic principles," so we should be able to force everyone to adhere to them, like it or not.
Gosh, that sounds really familiar. I wonder where I've heard that.

[pwrslm]

God gave us free will.

Islam wants to take it away.

Doesnt anyone realize that this stuff is orthodox Islam...right up the center, directly from the Koran.

Freedom of religion only exists under islam if your a muslim.

[billpl-2009]

public dress codes? prayer in public school?

...what's the difference?

[questionnews]

You can take your guns with you on the way out. P.S. Take Bush with you PLEASE!!!!
Posted by spoly13 at 05:58 PM : Apr 24, 2007

The reason the majority of office holding liberals are not on the "anti-gun" bandwagon is because based on several polls, gun owning liberals are almost on par with gun owning conservatives. And besides, the topic is the freedom of women dress as they wish. Even when Bush is gone, Iran will still continue to pursue mid-evil draconian rules for society that keep women from rising beyond the status as property.

[spoly13]

The conservatives in this country should move to Iran since they love to quote scripture. They will feel right at home in that conservative, religious environment and won't have liberals to blame for their misery. You can take your guns with you on the way out. P.S. Take Bush with you PLEASE!!!!

[sclaires]

Boy, am I glad I don't live in Iran or anywhere else where I would have to cover up completey. I just wonder what the men are afraid of that they go to such extremees as to make a woman hide her beauty. Maybe they were abused by their mothers and this is their way of getting back at them.

[hawksprings]

Why isn't there a comment from Hillary or the NOW girls or Gloria Steinam about this outrageous treatment of women??

Why aren't they organizing protests and burning scarves in front of the Iranian embassy???

...

[infidel_us]

Wow.....sounds like they feel the same way about Ahmadinejad as libs feel about Bush. :)