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IRAN'S DRESS CODE |
Iran in a Nutshell |
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Nearly 300 Iranian women were detained by police on Saturday, April 21, 2007, after being accused of dressing inappropriately. Three thousand more were given warnings and "Islamic guidance."
All Iranian women are required to
cover their hair with headscarves and don
loose-fitting manteaus in conformance with
Islamic codes of modesty. Many Iranian women
also choose to wear the more modest head-to-toe
black or gray chador, as do those who work in
government jobs.
The detained women were released after signing papers promising not to appear "inadequately dressed in public." The April crackdown was the toughest in two decades and has sparked concern that Iran's government is aiming to re-impose the tough constraints on dress and public behavior enforced during the Revolutionary period. Dress codes have loosened considerably since they were imposed after the 1979 Islamic Revolution -- especially as a result of the liberalization of Iran during the term of reformist president Mohammed Khatami from 1997-2005. Current President Ahmadinejad tried to distance himself from the crackdown saying it was enacted by the anti-vice police on behalf of the judiciary. ISLAMIC DRESS CODES AND THE QURAN The custom of covering women in Islamic countries stems from a number of verses in the Quran (considered the word of God in Islam) and Hadith (collections of accounts of Prophet Muhammad life, words and deeds). In ayah (verse) 24:30-31, the Quran says that "Women should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; they should not display their ornaments except as is normal, they should draw their veils over their bosoms and not display their beauty except to their close male relatives." The intention, according to Muslims, is to minimize the image of women as sex objects and emphasize their piety, purity and chastity. Women who observe the hijab (literally "curtain," generally, the custom of dressing modestly) also follow the sunnah, or "custom" of the Prophet's wives who had been instructed to stay secluded and cover themselves if they had to venture outside the home. The directive was originally enacted to spare Muhammad's wives from harassment by eager members of the fledgling Islamic community.
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