Iran: Enforcing The Dress Code
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Police and Basij activists check women for proper dress in Tehran on April 22 (Fars) - April 27, 2007 (RFE/RL) -- Iranian police have launched a fresh crackdown on women caught violating strict Islamic dress-code rules. Such crackdowns on women wearing loose head scarves, tight or short coats, short pants, or make-up have become a routine part of Iranian life as summer approaches.
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Police and Basij activists check women for proper dress in Tehran on April 22 (Fars) - The Islamic hejab became compulsory for women in Iran following the 1979 Islamic Revolution. According to the Islamic laws applied in Iran, women are obliged to cover their hair and wear loose coats to disguise the shape of their bodies.
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Police and Basij activists check women for proper dress in Tehran on April 22 (Fars) - But many women, especially younger ones, have been pushing the limits by wearing short, tailored coats, Capri pants, and brightly colored head scarves worn in a way that exposes much of their hair.
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Police and Basij activists check women for proper dress in Tehran on April 22 (Fars) - So far this year, thousands of women have received warnings, and many have been detained, for appearing in public in ways deemed inappropriate or immoral. Some observers have reported that this year's crackdown has been pursued with more seriousness and vigor than usual.
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Police and Basij activists check women for proper dress in Tehran on April 22 (Fars) - Iran's chief of police, Ismail Ahmadi-Moqaddam, said on April 25 that police have briefly detained some 150,000 people on charges ranging from being "poorly veiled" to violating public order, to bothering women or other people in public spaces.
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Police and Basij activists check women for proper dress in Tehran on April 22 (Fars) - Ahmadi-Moqaddam said 13 detained women have been handed over to judiciary officials. He told reporters the police campaign is not just aimed at making women wear their scarves conservatively, but at enhancing public security for women and their families.
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Police and Basij activists check women for proper dress in Tehran on April 22 (Fars) - This year's crackdown has drawn mixed reactions among officials, the public, and the press. The head of Iran's judiciary, Ayatollah Mahmud Hashemi-Sharudi, has warned against heavy-handed actions against women. He was quoted by Iranian newspapers as saying that "tough measures on social problems will backfire and have counterproductive effects."
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Police and Basij activists check women for proper dress in Tehran on April 22 (Fars) - Iran's main reformist student group has also criticized the crackdown and called on authorities to stop it. The group said measures to impose a strict Islamic dress code will not work, adding that authorities cannot "inject" a culture into society.
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Police and Basij activists check women for proper dress in Tehran on April 22 (Fars) - On April 25, 203 legislators issued a statement thanking and praising the Interior Ministry and police force for their work. The letter suggested the problem of "bad veiling" in Iran stems from the United States and Israel.
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Police and Basij activists check women for proper dress in Tehran on April 22 (Fars) - Iranian Culture Minister Hussein Saffar-Herandi told the media on April 24 not to undermine the police's public-decency drive with undue criticism. And he threatened them with a firm response if they disseminate what he termed "divisive" criticism.