Thursday, October 11, 2007

Iran Police Warn 122,000 People About "Un-Islamic" Dress

Julie Farby - AHN News Writer

Tehran, Iran (AHN)-In another crackdown by government officials, Iranian police have warned some 122,000 people, many of them women, about breaking Islamic dress codes since April of this year.

Another 7,000 people attended specific classes on respecting the rules enforced by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's hardline government, which includes prohibiting certain types of Western-style haircuts and dress.

The conservative newspaper, Jomhuri-ye Islami, reports that "Since the beginning of the crackdown from Ordibehesht (the Iranian month that started in April), 122,000 people have been given a warning for improper dress and 6,947 of them have taken part in guidance classes."

In addition to requiring a woman's hair and body to be covered, the latest crackdown in Iran also extends to men. Under Ahmadinejad's increasingly repressive regime, barbers are restricted from offering Western-style haircuts, including spiked hair, plucking eyebrows, and any other styling considered to be the "immoral" influence of the West.

Alcohol is also banned in the Islamic Republic, as well as any social gathering between both sexes. Under the law in Iran, men and women are not allowed to mix at close quarters in Iran, unless they are family members.

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