A compilation of information and links regarding assorted subjects: politics, religion, science, computers, health, movies, music... essentially whatever I'm reading about, working on or experiencing in life.
If only this were a joke. The Cox & Forkum blog has many links to articles and more pictures and videos of the harassment and arrests that have been happing in Iran as the Islamic Dress Code Crackdown continues. Here are just a few samples:
Men are not exempt from harassment or arrest. Their crime? Wearing short sleeves, tight pants, or western hairstyles?
Here is a woman being arrested for not dressing correctly. The policeman KICKS her into the car:
It's no joke. Here is a compilation of video clips of the fashion police at work, as shown on Iranian TV.
#1445 - Iranian Police Enforces "Islamic Dress Code" on Women in the Streets of Tehran. Iran Ch.1, IRINN (Iran) - 4/15/2007 - 00:03:08 [video]
A portion of the transcript:
[...]
Dress code enforcer: The manteau you are wearing is tight and has a long slit. Don't you think it violates our society's norms? You live in an Islamic country, right? Your head is completely uncovered as well. Your make-up is too heavy.
Dress code enforcer: As an Iranian citizen, do you think the way you are dressed is appropriate?
Woman: My trousers aren't short, and nor is my manteau.
Dress code enforcer: But your head is uncovered, and that scarf you are wearing – do you think it is appropriate?
Woman: So the problem is only with my hair?
Dress code enforcer: Of course. Your head is uncovered. Please rearrange your scarf. What you are wearing is a sarafan. In the Islamic dress code, this is not acceptable as an appropriate covering.
Woman: Why not? It has sleeves, and it is not short...
Dress code enforcer: No, what you are wearing is a sarafan. Do you admit that it's a sarafan?
Woman: So what's the difference between a sarafan and a manteau? It's got sleeves like a manteau.
[...]
Dress code enforcer: Come here, please. Good day. You are an Iranian citizen and a resident of Tehran, just like me. Don't you think that what you are wearing is problematic with regard to the Islamic social norms? What do you think, dear lady? Is it or is it not problematic? Do you agree that it is problematic? Your scarf is too thin, your hair is showing, and your manteau is short and tight. Please be more careful. When you go out, make sure you follow the social norms of this country.
Dress code enforcer: Please wait here for a few moments. Your hair is showing from the back. Your manteau is... Your trousers are too short. Please come with us into the bus. We have some things to discuss with you...
In the West, people make jokes about the fashion police. How easily we forget that for many people in the world, it's no joke, but a harsh reality.
Is "harsh" too strong a word? Considering that violators can be imprisoned and punished with "lashes" - quite painful and severe, even lethal sometimes, I would say "harsh" fits perfectly.
Consider the screaming woman at the end of the video. She's certainly afraid of something.
What... these women look like hookers? Not by our standards, but according to the Mullahs, a woman must cover her head at all times and may not wear makeup or do anything to display her femininity in public. So I guess if you're a woman and don't look like a penguin, it's immoral.
According to the link above, religious authorities are stressing the need for dealing with the violations of the Islamic dress code, and for "increasing the moral security in Iran."
It wasn't always like that. Here is a photo from a university in Tehran, cira 1976:
It looks like a modern university campus like you would see anywhere in the west. All that changed after the 1979 revolution, and the public face of women in Iran tends to look more like this:
I'd make a joke about the fashion police, but the reality is pretty serious. Violators can receive lashes, fines and imprisonment. I heard of one case -this was just after the 1979 revolution- where a woman was reported to the police by a neighbor for swimming in a bikini in her backyard swimming pool. She was sentenced to 60 lashes. Thats a lot of lashes. She DIED before all the lashes were completed.
Is it any wonder this woman is screaming so much as the police take her away?
