Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Tight trousers target of Iran dress crackdown

2 Dec 2007, 0048 hrs IST,REUTERS

TEHRAN: Iranian police will crack down on women in Tehran flouting
Islamic dress codes with winter fashions deemed immodest, such as
tight trousers tucked into long boots, an officer was quoted as saying
on Saturday.

"Considering the start of the cold season and its special way of
dressing, police will start early next week a drive against women who
wear improper dress," Tehran police chief Ahmad Reza Radan was quoted
as saying by state news agency IRNA .

"Tight trousers tucked inside long boots while wearing short overcoats
are against Islamic codes," the police chief told the agency.

"Wearing a hat or cap instead of scarves is also against Islamic dress codes."

Police officials were not immediately available for comment. The
Iranian week begins on Saturday. Police regularly clamp down on
skimpier clothing and looser headscarves in the summer. Usually this
is for just a few weeks but this year the campaign has run into the
autumn.

There has not recently been a move against winter fashion.

Enforcement of Islamic dress codes that require women to cover their
hair and disguise the shape of their body with loose overcoats has
become progressively sterner since President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad came
to power in 2005.

Women found dressing inappropriately may be warned or, particularly
for repeat offenders, can be taken to a police station and fined.
Police this year have also cracked down on men sporting what are
considered "Western" spiked haircuts.

In October, a newspaper said 122,000 people, mostly women, had been
warned about their clothing and nearly 7,000 of those had to attend
classes on respecting the rules.

Young women, particularly in wealthier urban areas, often challenge
limitations by wearing tight clothing and colourful headscarves that
barely cover their hair. The codes are less commonly challenged in
poor suburbs and rural regions. Iran has rejected criticism by rights
groups of such crackdowns and said its efforts were aimed at "fighting
morally corrupt people".

Iran has declared rap music illegal and says it will hunt down rap
artists who attempt to reach local audiences.

"There is nothing wrong with this type of music in itself," the
official for evaluation of music at the culture and Islamic guidance
ministry told IRNA news agency.

"But due to the use of obscene words by its singers this music has
been categorized as illegal," it said.

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