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| Iranian Crackdown No more Armani or bowl cuts for Iranians Ahmadinejad had promised it and now he's delivering by exerting more control over "immoral behaviors." Ali Reza Radan, the head of police, had announced the new laws and now Iranian policeman have begun punishing young people that have western-style hair cuts and brand name clothing. According to the human rights organization led by Nobel Peace Laureate Shirin Ebadi, in the first days of the government's "security plan", 488 people have been arrested. Determining beyond the bob, the shag and the "Rachel" what constitutes a western style haircut is presumably left to the officer's discretion. Those violating the anti-west hair policy will only be released after supplying the authorities with the name of the hair-stylist. Brand named clothes, short sleeved shirts and obscene shorts are also forbidden and the offenders are subject to arrest only to be released after they put on suitable attire. The chief of police also informed the press that the government has launched a campaign against women wearing a bad veil or ,worse, no veil at all. All the women wearing dresses above the knee, or showing their hair will be stopped and if they have previous issues with the law, they will be arrested and put on trial. From next week, policemen will have a computer with the names of those previously arrested to ensure that any dress code violators aren't repeat offenders. The decision of the police to stop people from wearing western style hair isn't shared by the judges in the capitol. "We don't have any law that stipulates what kind of haircut men have to have," explained Mahmoud Salar Kia, Assistant Prosecutor in Tehran. According to him, before arresting young people for western hair the President and mullahs should have spoken to the judges first. Under Sharia law, women are obliged to cover their hair completely and wear a chador that falls to their feet in order to hide the shape of their body but many young girls who live in rich parts of town have defied rules by wearing tight clothes, capri pants and wearing a veil that shows a little hair. Whoever doesn't follow the new law will get a ticket, a whipping or jail time. Article from the Times of India Article from Corriere della Sera (translated from Italian) |
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