49 held for 'Satanic' clothes
2008-12-04 21:16
Tehran - Police have arrested 49
people this week in a northern Iranian city during a crackdown
on "Satanic" clothes, IRNA news agency reported on Thursday.
The measures are the latest in a country-wide campaign
against Western cultural influence in the Islamic Republic,
where strict dress codes are enforced.
"Police confronted rascals and thugs who appeared in public
wearing satanic fashions and unsuitable clothing," Qaemshahr
city police commander Mahmoud Rahmani told IRNA.
Rahmani also said that five barber shops were shut and 20
more warned for "promoting Western hairstyles".
In the past, such crackdowns have lasted a few weeks or
months, but the current campaign was launched in 2007 and has
not let up.
It includes measures against men sporting spiky "Western"
hairstyles or women wearing tight trousers and high boots.
Women are supposed to wear clothing that covers their hair
and disguises the shape of their bodies. But some, particularly
in cities, wear headscarves pushed back well beyond their
hairlines and sport tight-fitting outfits.
'Enemies' of the country
Some analysts say the authorities fear such open acts of
defiance against the Islamic Republic's values could escalate if
they go unchecked.
This worries them when Iran is under pressure
from the West over its disputed nuclear work, they say.
"Some individuals, not knowing what culture they are
imitating, put on clothing that was designed by the enemies of
this country," Rahmani said.
"The enemies of this country are trying to divert our youth
and breed them the way they want and deprive them of a healthy
life," he added.
Rahmani did not say how the offenders would be punished.
Usual penalties are a warning or a fine.
Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has in the
past suggested Iran's enemies may try to stage a "soft" or
"velvet" revolution by infiltrating corrupt culture or ideas.