Iranian judiciary chief calls for clampdown on women's
dress
TEHRAN, April 9 (AFP) - Iran's conservative judiciary chief Ayatollah
Mohammad Yazdi called for a government clampdown Friday on the increasing
relaxation of the strict dress code for women imposed following the 1979
Islamic revolution.
"It's the government's duty to demand respect for the dress code
in public places, cinemas, parks, shops and on the street," Yazdi
told worshippers at the main Moslem weekly prayers here.
Since the shock presidential election victory of moderate cleric Mohammed
Khatami in 1997, women have grown increasingly bold in their defiance of
the dress code, particularly in the middle class northern suburbs of the
capital.
The code requires women to cover their hair with an austere headscarf
but more and more women wear brightly coloured scarves far back on their
heads revealing elaborate hair styles underneath.
Sockless sandals and three-quarter length cloaks are also becoming
more common in defiance of the Islamic requirement that women show only
their hands and face and wear long loose-fitting cloaks which obcure the
outline of their bodies.
Links
