posted
This is their front page story. Not whats going on next door. The Iran media campaign is starting to amp up. Dont be fooled, Iran has been like this in some way for hundreds if not thousands of years. Let their students and womens lib. movement take care of it!!
By ALI AKBAR DAREINI, AP and POST WIRE SERVICES AYATOLLAH KHAMENEI Misogynist mullah. April 25, 2007 -- TEHRAN, Iran - Women who refuse to wear a veil and otherwise adhere to the strict Islamic dress code will be banished from the capital for up to five years, authorities threatened yesterday after launching a new coverup campaign.
The frightening warning comes as police are carrying out their toughest crackdown in 20 years on young women who do not abide by Islamic law, which requires them to cover their face and hair and wear long, loose-fitting clothing to conceal their figures.
The possibility of exile to the Iranian hinterlands comes on top of stepped-up enforcement of existing penalties for flouting the clothing rules that include lashes, fines and imprisonment.
Prosecutor Saeed Mortazavi told an Iranian newspaper that if the current punishments are not effective in preventing women from showing some skin, those who repeatedly violate the law could be expelled from Tehran for five years.
"Those women who appear in public like decadent models endanger the security and dignity of young men," Mortazavi said, according to Reuters.
"If primary punishments are not effective, repeat violators may receive up to five years' exile from Tehran."
The harsh medieval measure touched off an immediate uproar in a country where about two-thirds of the 70 million people are under 30, and where people are worried most by an 11 percent unemployment rate and soaring inflation.
Elham Mohammadi, a 23-year-old student who shows her hair under a white and orange headscarf, called it insulting.
"You simply can't tell people what to wear. They don't understand that use of force only brings hatred towards them, not love," she said.
But Interior Minister Mostafa Pourmohammadi predicted the restrictions would be welcomed by Iranians because the measures will restore social stability.
"People are unhappy with the social and moral status of the society. They expect that the fight against social insecurity be properly implemented," he told the conservative daily newspaper Resalat.
Hard-line lawmaker Mohammad Taqi Rahbar said the flouting of the dress code had prompted growing cries for help from Iranian wives whose husbands were being distracted by women wearing skimpy clothing.
"Men see models in the street and ignore their own wives at home. This weakens the pillars of family," he said.
Already, more than 3,200 women have been officially warned, and 200 have been arrested for not covering up, despite recent temperatures approaching 80 degrees.
Police spokesman Col. Mahi Ahmadi said most of the women were released after they signed papers promising not to appear "inadequately dressed in public."
He added that a dozen men also were picked up by cops for wearing tight pants and short-sleeved shirts and "not observing the proper Islamic dress code."
On Monday, police were seen stopping and giving warnings to women who were showing too much hair or who dared to wear brightly colored headscarves, rather than black or gray, head-to-toe chadors and veils.
Parents of young women who were arrested complained bitterly to police about the crackdown.
Officers have also reportedly stopped foreign tourists, even though visitors are not required to follow Islamic law.
Ahmadi said the sartorial sweep to root out Western influence will continue for as long as necessary.
With summer approaching, more women have appeared in public wearing shorter, brighter and tighter clothing. Such clothes are banned under Islamic law, called sharia, which was imposed after Iran's 1979 revolution and is zealously enforced by the country's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khameini.
In recent years, women have increasingly opted to wear loose headscarves that show their hair while dressing in shorter, fitted jackets that stop at the knee, showing their pants or lower calves.
Some Iranians predicted that the controversial crackdown could result in a backlash against fanatical President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad from hard-pressed Iranians who are angry at food- and housing-price hikes in recent months, despite his campaign promises to reduce poverty.
Critics demanded the government turn its attention to unemployment and the economy.
After his election in 2005, Ahmadinejad promised a return to Islamic values of the revolution, and hard-liners pressed for a tougher stance on "immoral behavior."
Clerics have repeatedly called for a crackdown on "un-Islamic" dress during spring, but sweeps over the past two years have been low-key and minor.
Looser dress codes had been one of the few surviving gains from the era of Ahmadinejad's predecessor, reformist President Mohammad Khatami, who was in power from 1997 to 2005.
Some conservatives applauded the current crackdown, saying it was an important move when many women are pushing the boundaries of acceptable conduct.
"All are responsible toward the problem of inadequate dress," said Ayatollah Nasser Makarem Shirazi, a senior cleric.
But Iran's judiciary chief, Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi-Shahroudi, criticized the crackdown, saying cops shouldn't be dragging women to police stations.
He urged officers to avoid any heavy-handed action against women, because it would only trigger resentment.
"Tough measures on social problems will backfire and have counterproductive effects," he warned.
Critics in the media and Iranian citizens also complained.
"Mr. President, I wonder if what the police, supervised by your Interior Ministry, are doing to women stems from a misunderstanding?" asked Masih Alinejad, a columnist in the Etemad Melli daily.
"Or have people's major problems of injustice and poverty been resolved?"
Sadeq Rowshani, a bank clerk, said, "The problem of our country is unemployment, the rapid increase in the number of crimes and murders, not women's dress."
The police campaign comes as 2,000 students from a prestigious university in the southern city of Shiraz held a protest on Sunday over new clothing restrictions, according to reformist newspapers.
The students were banned from wearing shorts and sleeveless vests outside their rooms in the dormitories, which are strictly segregated, and were also given an extended curfew.
While the clothing restrictions apply to both men and women, it is mainly young women who do not cover their heads and bodily contours who have been the target of the arrests.
-------------------- "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication" Posts: 4005 | From: Shaolin | Registered: Oct 2005
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-------------------- One is never completely useless. One can always serve as a bad example. Posts: 2430 | From: CA | Registered: Jun 2005
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posted
Iran shouldnt concern US IMO. We seem to be making them our problem.
Over here, there were no topless beaches no to many years ago. Now you have to go to designated areas or face being arrested. Whats the difference? Its a dress code isnt it?
Europe doesnt seem to mind.....NEITHER DO I!
-------------------- "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication" Posts: 4005 | From: Shaolin | Registered: Oct 2005
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posted
Yes, there more important things to worry about than Iran pursuing nuclear weapons and human rights violations..... Like who will be American Idol 2007?
-------------------- One is never completely useless. One can always serve as a bad example. Posts: 2430 | From: CA | Registered: Jun 2005
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posted
I can see your getting sucked in to thier "mdeia campaign". All of a sudden youre offended by the way they treat their women. Check out how the women AND CHILDREN are being treated in Ethiopia and Dafur. They wish they had the option to be spared by "covering up"!
pssssst NR I got a little secret for ya....Iran is 9 years away from having a bomb. and you know what else.....its not our problem...shhhhhhhhhh
-------------------- "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication" Posts: 4005 | From: Shaolin | Registered: Oct 2005
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posted
Based on some of the women I've seen in this country, they should be REQUIRED to wear a vail and hide their faces. Let me call my local congressman and get that bill moving. LOL
Posts: 2554 | Registered: Nov 2005
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posted
Pssst Rimasco, I got a little secret for you....
The force that is creating the problems you speak of in Dafur is the same one that is forcing women to cover up in Iran... It's called Islamofascism and if you think ignoring it, or letting someone else deal with it will make it go away, your are wrong.
And BTW, my disgust and offence for extremist Islamists is nothing new... I've been paying attention to these things long before people were even talking about Saddam's human rights violations and WMD's (or lack thereof) so I don't know where you get the idea that I am "suddenly" being "sucked into their media campaign"...
Iran is not a nuclear power, but is on the road to becoming one. IMO it is ignorant to this that this isn't "our" problem.
-------------------- One is never completely useless. One can always serve as a bad example. Posts: 2430 | From: CA | Registered: Jun 2005
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posted
On second thought... We have 9 years before it does become our problem, so we should just forget about it until then, and deal with it as a "last minute" sort of thing...
After all, procrastination is always the best policy when it comes to dealing with a potential crisis... BTW, did you hear what Trump said about Rosie leaving "The View" !?!?
-------------------- One is never completely useless. One can always serve as a bad example. Posts: 2430 | From: CA | Registered: Jun 2005
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quote:Originally posted by NaturalResources: On second thought... We have 9 years before it does become our problem, so we should just forget about it until then, and deal with it as a "last minute" sort of thing...
After all, procrastination is always the best policy when it comes to dealing with a potential crisis... BTW, did you hear what Trump said about Rosie leaving "The View" !?!?
Rosie - Now that is one that requires a vail...LOL
Posts: 2554 | Registered: Nov 2005
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posted
And BTW, my disgust and offence for extremist Islamists is nothing new... I've been paying attention to these things long before people were even talking about Saddam's human rights violations and WMD's (or lack thereof)"...
me too...
it's important to remember that many of the "Islamic Customs" as we NON0Islamic people perceive them, are in fact NOT Islamic customs... they are "cultural norms" that are adopted by the members of the Faith and included into their religious practices...
-------------------- Don't envy the happiness of those who live in a fool's paradise. Posts: 36378 | From: USA | Registered: Sep 2003
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posted
"The force that is creating the problems you speak of in Dafur is the same one that is forcing women to cover up in Iran... It's called Islamofascism "
pssssst.....So then why arent we flying sorties over there there
And BTW, my disgust and offence for extremist Islamists is nothing new
pssssst.....this is their culture for a thousand years....its nothing new....psssst...why dont you start off by heading over to amish-town pennsylvania and free there women first...I hear they gotta cover up too....shhhhhhhhhhh
-------------------- "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication" Posts: 4005 | From: Shaolin | Registered: Oct 2005
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posted
I do see your point Glass, and I have no problem with people following "Islamic Customs" such as a veil, if that is in fact what they want to do....
Also, just to make things clear, my issue with Iran and Islamofascism is much more than whether or not women wear veils, there are a whole host of other "violations" that I don't need to get into because I know you are well aware of them.
My problem lies with the fact that women are FORCED to follow "customs" whether or not they want to and are punished severely if they do not....
In other words, I do not have a problem with the abundance of culture, but rather the lack of freedoms to choose which customs you follow.
It is customary for Catholics to wear crosses around their necks but you don't see them handing out "lashings" when citizens who are not members of the Catholic faith do not wear them...
Granted, there was a time in the past when this was the case, but as most will admit, this was wrong then, and it is wrong now. Just because it is happening in Iran doesn't make it any less wrong IMO....
-------------------- One is never completely useless. One can always serve as a bad example. Posts: 2430 | From: CA | Registered: Jun 2005
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posted
It is customary for Catholics to wear crosses around their necks but you don't see them handing out "lashings" when citizens who are not members of the Catholic faith do not wear them...
not any more anyway
-------------------- Don't envy the happiness of those who live in a fool's paradise. Posts: 36378 | From: USA | Registered: Sep 2003
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posted
"My problem lies with the fact that women are FORCED to follow "customs" whether or not they want to and are punished severely if they do not...."
psssssst.... The Civil Rights Movement is only 40 years old with a slew of victims and eye witnesses that could tell you similar stories....shhhhhhhh
patience
-------------------- "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication" Posts: 4005 | From: Shaolin | Registered: Oct 2005
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quote:Originally posted by rimasco: "The force that is creating the problems you speak of in Dafur is the same one that is forcing women to cover up in Iran... It's called Islamofascism "
pssssst.....So then why arent we flying sorties over there there
And BTW, my disgust and offence for extremist Islamists is nothing new
pssssst.....this is their culture for a thousand years....its nothing new....psssst...why dont you start off by heading over to amish-town pennsylvania and free there women first...I hear they gotta cover up too....shhhhhhhhhhh
Rimasco,
I do agree, that it is hypocritical to take issue with Islamofascism in Iran and say/do little regarding the same in Dafur or Ethiopia. IMO we should address both issues equally, but unfortunately we do not. Sadly, to the politicians, it is not about human rights, they just use that as an excuse for other agendas... It shouldn't be that way, but just because it is, please don't assume I agree with it.
Also, I do realize those customs have been around for thousands of years... Still doesn't make it right to force someone to follow them that doesn't want to. We take it for granted here that there is a separation of religion and state... Unfortunately, it is something not afforded to most in this world.
Regarding the Amish.... Funny you should bring that up, I do not know if it was intentional, but I do live in Southwestern PA and have done quite a bit of work in and around the Amish communities to the north of Pittsburgh.... Last I checked, one is free to leave the Amish lifestyle behind any time they want. While they may be "shunned" by the Amish community for doing so, they certianly don't get beaten for doing so...
-------------------- One is never completely useless. One can always serve as a bad example. Posts: 2430 | From: CA | Registered: Jun 2005
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posted
Well I hear....a father bedding their daughters is a common practice in those communities... I dont know if its true, but they did have a first hand victim on the news about a year or so back...
-------------------- "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication" Posts: 4005 | From: Shaolin | Registered: Oct 2005
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quote:Originally posted by rimasco: "My problem lies with the fact that women are FORCED to follow "customs" whether or not they want to and are punished severely if they do not...."
psssssst.... The Civil Rights Movement is only 40 years old with a slew of victims and eye witnesses that could tell you similar stories....shhhhhhhh
patience
-------------------- "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication" Posts: 4005 | From: Shaolin | Registered: Oct 2005
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quote:Originally posted by glassman: It is customary for Catholics to wear crosses around their necks but you don't see them handing out "lashings" when citizens who are not members of the Catholic faith do not wear them...
not any more anyway
Most here will not deny that it was wrong when it took place in the name of Catholicism , yet for some reason, people have a hard time admitting it is wrong when it happens in the name of Islam....
In all honesty, if women wanted to wear veils, because they believed in Islamic customs, then the "government" of Iran should not need to "crack down" on women who aren't wearing them.. Right?
-------------------- One is never completely useless. One can always serve as a bad example. Posts: 2430 | From: CA | Registered: Jun 2005
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posted
"In all honesty, if women wanted to wear veils, because they believed in Islamic customs, then the "government" of Iran should not need to "crack down" on women who aren't wearing them.. Right?"
People seem to become enraged when I wear my Richard Simmons shorts when I play basket-ball...
NR....serious, we have a dress code too dont we?
I cant just walk out the house with my bean-bag swingin in the wind. Different cultures are offended by different things. Because we have a higher tolerance does that make US right?
-------------------- "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication" Posts: 4005 | From: Shaolin | Registered: Oct 2005
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posted
what are we arguing about again? i admit it i'm confused...
i am all for protcting human rights...
the problems aren't fixed if you destroy everybodys rights in the process of fixing the other problems (cough bushcheneycough cough)...
i am concerned about Irans nukes.. i think we WILL HAVE NO CHOICE but to eventually use some military tactics sooner or later..
Bush has destroyed all faith in his leadership ability so it ain't gonna happen anytime in th enext year. unless? somethig really bad happens (a distinct possibility)...
as for invading other countries to take the scarves off womens heads? let's get real...
i proposed a long time ago (here) that we offer women sanctuary or visa's (here),especially for Educational purposes, from countries that are deemed to be severely discriminatory toward them, and? we stop granting the men from those countries Visa's for Educational purposes..
it might help.. or it might make things worse...
-------------------- Don't envy the happiness of those who live in a fool's paradise. Posts: 36378 | From: USA | Registered: Sep 2003
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quote:Originally posted by rimasco: "In all honesty, if women wanted to wear veils, because they believed in Islamic customs, then the "government" of Iran should not need to "crack down" on women who aren't wearing them.. Right?"
People seem to become enraged when I wear my Richard Simmons shorts when I play basket-ball...
NR....serious, we have a dress code too dont we?
I cant just walk out the house with my bean-bag swingin in the wind. Different cultures are offended by different things. Because we have a higher tolerance does that make US right?
FWIW, IMO you should be able to walk out of your house with your "bean-bag" swaying in the wind if you want to.... Regardless, even though in our "culture" you can't, unless you get some "napoleon complex" cop detaining you, I doubt you would be "lashed" for doing so....
-------------------- One is never completely useless. One can always serve as a bad example. Posts: 2430 | From: CA | Registered: Jun 2005
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posted
"as for invading other countries to take the scarves off womens heads? let's get real..."
Well I started out by accusing the NY Post of making this front page news as sort of a prelude for the Iran smear campaign to come....
Im sure you seen in my past posts...i believe that womens lib in these countries are vital..but they have to go it on there own....just like they did here.
As far as invasion....we cant afford another Iraq....on all facets of costs
We isolated our selves with Iraq....I think that will be considered a luxury considered to what would happen
-------------------- "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication" Posts: 4005 | From: Shaolin | Registered: Oct 2005
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posted
LOL Glass, after seeing a picture of your dog on a different thread, I definitely wouldn't wanna be "free willy" in your neighbourhood...
-------------------- One is never completely useless. One can always serve as a bad example. Posts: 2430 | From: CA | Registered: Jun 2005
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I want to make it clear that I am not advocating "invading Iran". I am simply saying that Nuclear Proliferation and Human Rights Violations must be dealt with ASAP, and not brushed to the side for others to deal with, or to be dealt with at a later time.
-------------------- One is never completely useless. One can always serve as a bad example. Posts: 2430 | From: CA | Registered: Jun 2005
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posted
I believe I already explained my opinion on this to you once Jordanreed...
I won't bother explaining it again, I will just give you my short answer, which is:
No.
-------------------- One is never completely useless. One can always serve as a bad example. Posts: 2430 | From: CA | Registered: Jun 2005
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