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Iranian authorities step up arrests of women for 'immodest' dress

Iran is presently off the media agenda as it concentrates on the Israeli attack on the flotilla of boats and the aftermath. In fact, some commentators suggest that the Iranian issue, which was so dominating the news, may now be pushed into the background because of what happened with the Israeli attack and the actual siege of Gaza.

All too sadly, Iran is tightening its controls of what women wear - and how. The Washington Post reports in "Iranian authorities step up arrests of women for 'immodest' dress":

"Iranian authorities have begun police patrols in the capital to arrest women wearing clothes deemed improper. The campaign against loose-fitting veils and other signs of modernism comes as government opponents are calling for rallies to mark the anniversary of the disputed presidential election, and critics of the crackdown say it is stoking feelings of discontent.

But hard-liners say that improper veiling is a "security issue" and that "loose morality" threatens the core of the Islamic republic.

Iran's interior minister has promised a "chastity plan" to promote the proper covering "from kindergarten to families," though the details are unclear. Tehran police have been arresting women for wearing short coats or improper veils and even for being too suntanned. Witnesses report fines up to $800 for dress considered immodest.

Some here say the new measures are part of a government campaign of intimidation ahead of the election anniversary this month. The hard-liners have grown more influential since the vote, which led to months of anti-government demonstrations that leaders saw as the biggest threat to the Islamic system in decades.

Iranian women are obliged by law to cover their hair and wear long coats in public. The Islamic veil protects the purity of women, preventing men from viewing them as sex symbols, clerics here say. But the law is imprecise, and interpretations vary."

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