Iran's Misogynistic Crackdown

Mon, Apr 23, 2007 at 11:28:04 am PDT

Women in Iran will now face arrest and punishment if their clothing does not meet Islamic standards of misogyny and repression: Iran warns women over slack dressing.

This article by Agence France Presse writer Farhad Pouladi reads like an Iranian propaganda release.

TEHRAN (AFP) - Iran has issued more than a thousand warnings and arrested dozens in a new drive aimed at forcing women whose dress is deemed inappropriate to adhere to Islamic dress rules, officials said Sunday.

The nationwide drive — an annual pre-summer crackdown given greater prominence this year — is aimed primarily at women whose coats are seen as too tight, trousers excessively short or hejabs (headscarves) overly loose. It foresees handing out warnings and guidance to women found to have infringed its dress code in public. Those who show resistance to change can be arrested and then be the subject of legal proceedings.

“Since the plan started at 10:00 am on Saturday, 1,347 women have been warned and given Islamic guidance,” the head of information at Tehran city’s police force, Mehdi Ahmadi, told AFP. ...

Mohammad Taghi Rahbar, a member of the culture committee of the Iranian parliament, was quoted by the Etemad newspaper as saying a harder line towards female dress was long overdue.

“The current situation is shameful for an Islamic government. A man who sees these models on the streets will pay no attention to his wife at home, destroying the foundation of the family,” he warned.

UPDATE at 4/23/07 3:13:00 pm:

Photos and more at Publius Pundit: The Islamic Regime intensifies war on women.